Research + Projects

The CIJ undertakes research and makes submissions on the themes of restorative justice, family violence, women's decarceration and systemic reform. We work in partnership with the justice sector, government and justice system users, as well as independently.

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All

Download our publications here

You can access all CIJ publications as PDFs for download using the links below.

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All submissions
All

Download our submissions here

You can access all CIJ submissions as PDFs for download using the links below.

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Project
Systemic Reform

The Yallum Yallum Project: Developing a self-determined justice model

This project aims to support the design of an independent self-determined justice model incorporating an ‘Elders and Respected Persons Council’, to be known as Yallum Yallum.

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Project
Family Violence

Evaluation of the Pre-court Support for Adolescents using violence in the home (AVITH) Pilot

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.

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Project
Family Violence

Future-proofing Safety – A major project examining family violence in Victoria during COVID-19

The CIJ are proud to partner with Drummond Street’s Centre for Family Research and Evaluation (CFRE) and the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) on the Futureproofing Safety – COVID-19 and family violence in Victoria project.

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Project
Women’s Decarceration

Community SupPORT Pathways

The CIJ is supporting an exciting pilot project led by LACW. Delivered in partnership with the Victorian Amateur Football Association, Community SupPORT Pathways for Women links criminalised women with community football clubs, providing opportunities for employment, volunteering, recreation – and, most importantly, belonging. The CIJ will deliver the embedded participatory evaluation component of the program.

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Project
Women’s Decarceration

Lessons from COVID-19: The use of remand, bail and sentencing for women

As part of our continuing focus on the specific needs of women in the justice system, the CIJ has embarked on a project developed in partnership with the Law and Advocacy Centre for Women, which explores women's experiences of criminal justice contact and legal outcomes since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Project
Disability Justice

Just Voices: Building mainstream justice workforce capability around the NDIS through lived experience

This project will work with people with disability and experience of the justice system to design and develop workforce initiatives for the mainstream justice workforce.

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Project
Women’s Decarceration

Leaving custody behind: Foundations for safer communities and gender-informed criminal justice systems

This Issues Paper draws together evidence about women’s involvement in the criminal justice system and the factors behind the escalating female imprisonment rate in Victoria. It highlights the disproportionate harm caused by the incarceration of women and the urgent need to find alternatives that better meet human rights standards.

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Project
Criminal Record Discrimination

Rethinking Criminal Record Checks

Building on earlier successful work addressing this issue, the Rethinking Criminal Records project will educate employers and job seekers about their rights and obligations in disclosing criminal history.

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Project
Family Violence

WRAP around families experiencing adolescent violence in the home (AVITH): Towards a collaborative service response

The “Whole-of-family Responses to AVITH Program (WRAP) around families experiencing AVITH” (the WRAP Around project) aims to develop a framework for holistic, evidence-based and collaborative practice.

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Evaluation
Women’s Decarceration

Women Transforming Justice

The CIJ is conducting an ongoing evaluation of Women Transforming Justice (WTJ), a collaboration between the Fitzroy Legal Service (incorporating Darebin Community Legal Centre), the Law and Advocacy Centre for Women (LACW) and Flat Out.

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Project
Systemic Reform

Victim Service Review

The Victorian Department of Justice & Community Safety has asked the CIJ to review the state's service and support system for victims of crime.

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Report
Family Violence

Behind closed doors: Adolescent Violence in the Home (AVITH) during COVID & challenges to come

CIJ has partnered with the Centre for Family Research and Evaluation at drummond street services on this Issues Paper which examined the issue of adolescent violence in the home during COVID-19 lockdowns.

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Project
Women’s Decarceration

Feasibility Study – Residential Program for Aboriginal Women

The CIJ has embarked on an exciting new collaboration with Djirra and Price Waterhouse Cooper’s Indigenous Consulting to develop a model and plan for implementation for a residential program for Aboriginal women in Victoria.

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Report
Family Violence

The PIPA project: Positive Interventions for Perpetrators of Adolescent violence in the home

This report contributes to an understanding of adolescent violence in the home (AVITH) and explores the development of a considered systemic response.

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Project
Systemic Reform

Child Witness Service Review

As part of the wider review of Victoria’s victim’s services, the CIJ was also commissioned by the Department of Justice and Community Safety to conduct a separate review of the Child Witness Service (CWS) in 2019.

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Report
Systemic Reform

Unstacking the odds: Towards positive interventions at the intersection of gambling and crime

The purpose of this Issues Paper is to build on the CIJ’s, 2017 report 'Compulsion, convergence or crime', by highlighting relevant literature and case law which has emerged since this 2017 work was conducted.

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Report
Women’s Decarceration

Financial Counselling Practice Guidance: Integrating financial counselling in a legal setting for effective collaborative practice

The CIJ delivered a ground breaking financial counselling service pilot to women in Dame Phyllis Frost Centre.

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Project
Family Violence

Improved accountability – the role of perpetrator intervention systems

This multi-jurisdictional research project is looking at the existence or otherwise of perpetrator intervention systems across Australia.

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Submission
Systemic Reform

Review of Age of Criminal Responsibility

The CIJ recently made a submission to the Council of Attorneys-General as part of their review of the age of criminal responsibility in Australia.

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Submission
Systemic Reform

Measuring crime harm − the reality behind the statistics

The CIJ provided input to the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) on the development of a Crime Harm Index for Victoria.

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Project
Disability Justice

Supporting Justice Website Resource

Supporting Justice is aimed at improving the justice system's responses to mental health and disability.

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