December 2, 2021
Share your experience – submissions are now open
The formal engagement phase of the Review is now underway, and we are inviting current and former custodial staff, people previously in custody, their family members and support people to make submissions via our website, via email or via post, and they can also speak to us about their interest in a confidential interview on 1800 431 276.
For people in custody, our prison hotline is now live – people can contact us via *#10 on the Prisoner Telephone System, and we will be distributing printed submission forms in prisons to help people share their experiences.
- Information for custodial staff
- Information for people in custody and their families
- Information for stakeholders and advocates
Site visits underway
Over the next three months, our Expert Panel and members of the Review team will be visiting each prison and correctional centre, to speak directly with custodial staff and people in custody. We commenced our schedule with visits to the Judy Lazarus Transition Centre and Beechworth Correctional Centre and Dhurringile Prison late last month – valuable opportunities to hear directly from people with first-hand experience of the corrections system.
During December, we will be on site at Tarrengower (1–2 December), Loddon–Middleton (6–8 December) and Langi Kal Kal (13–14 December).
During these visits, we will be conducting focus groups and arranging confidential interviews, but there will also be time for informal conversations. Staff interested in speaking to us during our visits can contact us via 1800 431 276, and people in custody can reach us via *#10 on the Prisoner Telephone System (calls to the Review will not be monitored).
Help us promote participation in the Review – stakeholder kits now available
If you advocate or provide services for people in custody, or if you work with custodial staff across the system, we would appreciate any support you can provide to encourage them to participate in the Review.
You might consider including a short news item in your next newsletter or on your website, you might mention the Review in any forthcoming staff or volunteer briefings, or you might post about the Review on your social media channels.
We’ve prepared stakeholder kits with some key facts, sample messages and social media assets you can use to help your network engage with the Review.
- Stakeholder kit – for organisations working with people in custody
- Stakeholder kit – for organisations working with custodial staff
- Stakeholder kit – for organisations working with Aboriginal participants
Submission deadline for stakeholders and advocates
We reached the deadline for submissions from organisational stakeholders earlier this week. To the organisations who have already shared their expertise, I extend my thanks. Your insights will play an important role in helping us understand the challenges and opportunities that exist within Victoria’s corrections system.
I know this is a busy period for many organisations, so if you are interested in making a submission but have not yet done so, please contact us via correctionsreview@justice.vic.gov.au to discuss further engagement options and extended deadlines. To help shape your submission, our consultation paper poses some key questions for stakeholders and advocates.
Thank you again to everyone who has shared their experiences with us – every story plays a critical role in helping shape our findings and recommendations to the Minister for Corrections. I look forward to speaking with more participants as the Review progresses.
Kristen Hilton
Review Lead, Cultural Review of the Adult Custodial Corrections System
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