The Australian Greens have backed calls to divert non-violent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders with substance use problems into rehabilitation or treatment programs in place of prison terms.

 "We need Federal leadership for a new approach across the country to fix what is clearly a very broken system," said Australian Greens spokesperson on legal affairs, Senator Penny Wright.

"We must address the underlying causes of disadvantage, which mean many Aboriginal people do not have the same opportunities and support as other Australians.

Well! It's official - years scoot by when you pack lots into them. "Yesterday" I was reflecting on 2011. And here I am, looking back on 2012, amazed to consider what the Australian Greens have achieved this year.

Increasing over-representation of Indigenous youth in juvenile detention shows the drastic need for a new approach to justice in Australia, say Australian Greens Senators Penny Wright and Rachel Siewert.

New figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show Indigenous young people account for 53 per cent of all youth in detention and were 31 times as likely as non-Indigenous young people to be in detention, up from 27 times as likely in 2008.

A new and more economically responsible approach to crime in Australia will be examined by a Senate Inquiry following the success today of a motion by Australian Greens spokesperson on Legal Affairs, Senator Penny Wright.

The Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee will investigate growing imprisonment rates and the benefits of implementing a Justice Reinvestment approach.

"Our justice system, as it stands, is not producing safer communities and it is time for a new strategy," Senator Wright said.

The Australian Greens have urged the Federal Government to listen to the growing community call for Justice Reinvestment in Australia.

 More than a dozen individuals representing community and justice groups are coming together at Parliament House today to attend a roundtable hosted by Greens spokesperson for Legal Affairs, Senator Penny Wright.  The roundtable will discuss the need for Justice Reinvestment in Australia and the importance of strong federal leadership.

In the 2012 Supplementary Estimates period, Senator Penny Wright asked the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee questions about the following issues. Click the links below to read the full transcript.

Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Wednesday 17 October 2012

Australian Human Rights Commission

The Australian Greens have welcomed research released today by the Australian Institute of Criminology noting the urgent need for place-based interventions to reduce crime and victimisation in our most disadvantaged communities.

The research mapped postal areas in Queensland with a high number of chronic offenders and found that 10 per cent of postal areas carry more than half the total cost burden of chronic offenders.

Senator WRIGHT (South Australia) (19:03):

Last month, I gave a speech about the growing community call for the adoption of a justice reinvestment approach to criminal justice here in Australia. Tonight I am continuing that theme, reporting on a forum hosted by the Australian National University's National Centre for Indigenous Studies in August. The question posed for the forum was: is justice reinvestment needed in Australia?