Category: Blog

Blog

It’s my story. It’s your case, but it’s my story.

Interview Study: Exploring justice system experiences of complainants in sexual offence matters report released.

Read more
Blog

New Family Violence Research Projects Announced

The CIJ is excited to have been awarded a research grant by Family Safety Victoria to explore the needs of unaccompanied children and young people seeking shelter as a result of family violence.

Read more
Blog

Centre for Innovative Justice turns 10!

Over 100 staff, students and industry partners recently came together to celebrate the tenth anniversary of RMIT’s Centre for Innovative Justice (CIJ).

Read more
Blog

Specialist Courts and Innovative Justice: a conversation with Rob Hulls

Rob sat down with Victoria Law Foundation's Executive Director Lynne Haultain to discuss the importance of innovative justice, holistic thinking and the specialist courts in Victoria.

Read more
Blog

Busting myths about the criminal justice system

This resource provides information to address some common myths about the criminal justice system in Australia generally, and more specifically in the Victorian context.

Read more
Blog

$1.5m boost for innovative road trauma recovery program

The recovery journey of Victorians impacted by road trauma is set to be improved thanks to a ground-breaking new partnership between RMIT and the Transport Accident Commission.

Read more
Blog

Better Together

On Friday 14th October 2022 CIJ staff Dorothy Armstrong and Emily Piggott presented at the Office of the Public Advocate (OPA) ‘Better Together’ volunteer conference.

Read more
Blog

New meets old as innovative justice moves into Melbourne’s Old Magistrates’ Court

Melbourne’s Old Magistrates’ Court, built on the site where high profile trials including those of bush-ranger Ned Kelly and 1920’s gangster ‘Squizzy” Taylor were held, is being re-energised with the arrival of RMIT’s Centre for Innovative Justice (CIJ).

Read more
Blog

Innovative Justice in Aotearoa New Zealand

My recent visit to the Alcohol and other Drug Treatment Court (AODTC) in New Zealand confirmed absolutely that addressing the underlying causes of offending and providing holistic, wrap around support services for people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol is a much smarter way of delivering justice for defendants, victims and the community more generally.

Read more
Blog

New report highlights benefits of early legal and social support for young people using violence in the home

The Report highlights that early, specialist legal and non-legal support and pre-court negotiations, often results in timely and effective outcomes for young people, reduces harmful contact with the justice system and improved safety for their families.

Read more
Blog

August 2022 Newsletter Stories

Scroll down to continue reading our full newsletter stories.

Read more
Blog

Spent Convictions Orders for more serious convictions commence 

The significant advocacy of the Criminal Records Discrimination Project has led to the Vic Government introducing a legislated spent convictions scheme which prohibits discrimination against people on the basis of an irrelevant criminal record.

Read more
Blog

Signposts to perpetrator change

Courts and statutory authorities regularly make decisions about a perpetrator’s level of risk to adult and child victim-survivors without much information about the type and nature of risk that he may continue to pose. In the absence of any more detail, these authorities often look to measures such as an individual’s attendance at a MBCP as an indication of reduced risk.

Read more
Blog

Future-proofing research – the challenges of building an evidence-base during COVID-19

As we tick over the two-year mark since the onset of the pandemic, it is worth reflecting on our achievements, as well as the challenges of conducting research and reform activities during this time. Like everyone, the CIJ paused and then pivoted as we explored how to work in drastically changed circumstances, with uncertainty the only constant.

Read more
Blog

December 2021 newsletter stories

Scroll down to continue reading our full newsletter stories

Read more
Blog

Answering your questions about ‘Finding a job with a criminal record – what new spent convictions laws mean for you’

Our Law Week event, held on 17 May 2021, aimed to provide jobseekers, particularly Aboriginal people who have a criminal record, with information and guidance to present their strongest case for employment to an employer.

Read more
Blog

Australia going backwards, not forwards, on raising the age of criminal responsibility

This week, the Centre for Innovative Justice joins 75 other organisations to call for action by all Australian states and territories to raise the age of criminal responsibility.

Read more
Blog

Meet me halfway

This piece is written by Dorothy Armstrong, CIJ Adviser & Peer Support Worker, on her experience in giving evidence to the Disability Royal Commission.

Read more
Blog

Building a more ‘victim-led’ system means asking victims of crime what they want – Part Two

In this two-part series, we outline our findings from research conducted in 2019 which involved in-depth interviews with 37 victims of crime across Victoria to understand what they wanted and needed from the victim services system, and whether it was meeting their expectations. We encountered a diverse range of needs and circumstances, as well as surprising insights into how we can improve support for people who have experienced crime.

Read more
Blog

Building a more ‘victim-led’ system means asking victims of crime what they want – Part One

In this two-part series, we share key findings from research conducted by the Centre for Innovative Justice in 2019, which involved in-depth interviews with 37 victims of crime across Victoria to understand what they wanted and needed from the victim services system, and whether it was meeting their expectations. We encountered a diverse range of needs and circumstances, as well as surprising insights into how we can improve support for people who have experienced crime.

Read more
Blog

Behind closed doors – families experiencing adolescent violence must be remembered in the recovery effort

The use of family violence by children and young people has been a concern for some time. The Royal Commission into Family Violence dedicated specific recommendations to it, while growing research - including the PIPA project - points to the complexities across families experiencing this challenge.

Read more