Page 282 - Week 01 - Thursday, 11 February 2016
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found to have occurred. This will not only encourage offenders to admit breaches which have taken place without causing delays, but will serve to provide a strong reminder of their obligations under the order without the adverse consequence of longer periods in custody.
But the board will always have the option to cancel the order, which may be necessary where, for example, it is clear that an offender is not going to comply in the future. This will mean that the offender will be required to serve the remainder of their sentence in full-time detention unless they successfully apply to the board for the intensive correction order to be reinstated. This can only be done after a minimum period of 30 days, and the burden is clearly placed on the offender to convince the board they will comply with the order in the future.
The Sentence Administration Board has a very important role to play in determining breaches of conditions. The board administers parole orders and has been dealing with breaches of periodic detention and so has a specific focus and level of knowledge in such matters, as well as the ability to list matters for hearing with minimal delay. The processes for bringing breaches before the board have been designed to ensure the requirements for procedural fairness have been met while delivering on the concept of swift, certain and proportionate consequences.
I encourage the community and the legal fraternity to look at each innovation and policy in this area not in isolation but as a whole-of-government reform process that has at its heart a desire to promote a better approach response for victims, more effective deterrence for criminal behaviour and a more strategic and cohesive justice system able to respond to the issue of crime in our community.
Combined with existing programs such as extended through-care, the implementation of the CBR A step up for our kids and the better services framework, I believe these new initiatives will see the ACT become a safer place to live for all. I am pleased to support the bill today.
MS PORTER (Ginninderra) (4.18): I am pleased to be able to speak to this bill today and I wish to address the aspects of the bill that deal with restorative justice. Today we reach another important milestone in a restorative community. It will serve to advance and facilitate the already very successful restorative justice options not only for young people for minor offences but also for both young people and adults involved in more serious crime.
As we heard yesterday, restorative justice provides the person or persons who have been harmed with a voice and gives them an opportunity to seek restoration for that harm. The person who has carried out the harmful behaviour can hear those voices and understand the impact of their behaviour.
The restorative justice unit has utilised restorative practices to support more than 2,880 victims. Since 2005 the restorative justice unit has managed more than 3,900 offences for young people who have committed less serious offences, and more than 1,175 conferences have taken place during this time. All referrals to the
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