Centre for Innovative Justice

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Centre for Innovative Justice

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Centre for Innovative Justice, 124 La Trobe Street, Melbourne.

The CIJ researches, translates, advocates & applies innovative/alternative ways to improve the justice system, with a particular focus on appropriate/non-adversarial dispute resolution, therapeutic jurisprudence & restorative justice

08/10/2025

A few weeks ago, the ABC featured the Amplify program, a vital initiative supporting young people experiencing homelessness and family violence. The CIJ was proud to conduct the program’s evaluation, led by Associate Director Elena Campbell and her team.

In the article, Elena highlighted the importance of designing services that genuinely meet the needs of young people, noting that “we can’t just throw in an existing specialist family violence response at young people … what we need to be doing is designing programmes that are about ways of working with young people.”

The CIJ’s evaluation found that Amplify fills a critical gap in Victoria’s support system for adolescents, offering a blueprint for scaling youth-informed, trauma-aware service responses.

👉 Read the full story on ABC News here:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-22/homeless-kids-domestic-violence-solution-politics/105793902

and find the evaluation here: https://www.mcm.org.au/news/amplify-evaluation-confirms-family-violence-program-is-changing-live

07/10/2025

6 NOVEMBER - SAVE THE DATE!

We are excited to announce Open Circle's one-day forum, Justice and Healing: Restorative and Community Responses to Harm.

When serious harm occurs, we must seek new and creative justice pathways that prioritise healing, community, and social change. This forum invites you to explore community-based responses to harm that centre healing over punishment and retribution.

This forum will take place on 6 November at RMIT Melbourne CBD.

General public tickets will go on sale soon. Spaces are extremely limited, so watch this space.

23/09/2025

In July, the CIJ partnered with Our Watch to develop a two-part webinar series and resources for media when reporting on gender-based violence.

Many have been asking, and it's finally here! If you missed out, the two-part series is now available to watch on the Our Watch website.

Elena Campbell facilitated a panel session for the first part of the series which explored the ways in which victim survivors experience media reporting of criminal justice proceedings related to domestic, family or sexual violence. Elena was then a panel guest in the second part of the series – facilitated by Our Watch and including a journalist and media lawyer – which discussed practical ways in which the media can navigate the difficult terrain of reporting in a trauma-informed way and giving victim survivors a voice, while also adhering to relevant legal restrictions.

Watch them here: https://www.ourwatch.org.au/media-reporting/resources/tips-for-reporting-when-there-are-legal-restrictions

04/09/2025

Recently, the CIJ's Stan Winford and Adam Wilson from Fitzroy Legal Service met with a delegation from the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA). The delegation is part of the JFBA's Working Group on Criminal Defence for Persons with Disabilities and Other Special Needs, who visited Australia to learn more about innovative responses to issues within the justice system.

During the meeting, Stan and Adam spoke about ways to better support people with disability who are in contact with the justice system, and how to provide suitable training and resourcing to legal representatives to ensure their services are accessible and take disability into consideration.

The JFBA hope the findings from their research, including this interview, will help 'inform legislative advocacy, improve practice guidelines, and contribute to ongoing development of interdisciplinary defence and support models in Japan'.

We are extremely honoured to have been able to contribute to this research and hope to see it have a positive impact for those with disability who come into contact with the Japanese justice system.

Vid Description: A camera pans across a meeting room with a long table, four people seated along each side and one person at the head of the table, all dressed in professional attire.

01/09/2025

Meet the CIJ's newest team member

After parting ways with the incredible Jen Black, we have now appointed our new Manager, Innovation and Impact! We are incredibly excited to have Simon on board and for all the insightful contributions he brings to the team.

25/08/2025

Recently, one of our Associate Directors, Stan Winford, spoke with the ABC News through his role as Director at the Sentencing Advisory Council, ahead of the plea hearing for convicted triple-murderer Erin Patterson, which commenced this Monday.

During the interview, Stan shed light on the role of victim impact statements in court proceedings and the growing recognition within the justice system of the impacts of crime on those who have been harmed.

He noted that the inclusion of victim impact statements in the Victorian criminal justice system "reflects a growing recognition in recent times about the importance of providing a greater role for victims to participate in criminal trial and sentencing processes".

Read the full article here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-25/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-plea-hearing/105679582

13/08/2025

Through our fantastic community legal centre partners, Law and Advocacy Centre for Women and Youthlaw, the CIJ supports RMIT students, studying courses such as law and social work, to have life changing placement opportunities.

These experiences can be incredibly formative for these students' careers. For social work students, placements at our partner community legal centres can demonstrate the diverse and varied sectors their degree can open doors to, including the legal sector.

Yutong Dai's recent experience at Youthlaw is an example of what these placements can provide - eye-opening experiences, linking theory to practice, and a taste of the combined legal and social support sectors to inform choices about future career paths!

09/08/2025

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples🖤💛❤️

Today, we honour the strength, resilience, and knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples — the oldest continuous cultures in the world.

But we must also reckon with the ongoing injustice experienced by First Nations people within Australia’s legal and social systems.

Justice can only be achieved when systems and solutions are Aboriginal-led and self-determined, so that they are effectively tailored to the needs of those they are intended to support, and shaped by the voices of lived experience.

07/08/2025

Last fortnight the ABC shone a light on the reality surrounding family violence intervention orders placed on young children in Victoria, speaking to those with lived experience and experts in the field, including the CIJ's very own Elena Campbell.

Echoing Campbell's groundbreaking P**A Project research, new research by Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) confirms that, while current laws exist to encapsulate the diverse presentations of family violence more effectively, they also allow orders to be filed against children by police even if the family do not consent.

"[B]ecause of the proactive way in which we use intervention orders, it tends to scoop up people for whom we didn't really intend such a zero-tolerance response," said Campbell on ABC's AM program.

The accompanying article highlights the experience of one particular family, who had no say about an intervention order being placed against their 15-year-old son after calling the police, simply seeking help to de-escalate a crisis situation, and are now fighting to have the order removed.

Cases like these have risen by 34% since 2018, as found by Victoria Legal Aid in their recent report.

"There's a huge and very urgent need for reform of the Family Violence Protection Act (Vic) as a wholesale review, and then to look at the Personal Safety Intervention Act (Vic) as well" - Campbell, as quoted by ABC.

Read the full article here https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-24/family-violence-orders-children-victoria-legal-aid/105560208

And listen to the news item here https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/am/parents-struggle-with-violence-intervention-system/105566174

Also exploring this issue - a panel discussion facilitated by Campbell at a symposium held by the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare earlier this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOqorXzdk80

05/08/2025

Do you work with young people who are experiencing intimate partner violence? The IVY Study would love to hear from you.

The CIJ and Centre for Family Research & Evaluation are currently conducting research about intimate partner violence (IPV) in the context of young people's relationships, and the services involved in responding. Through the findings of this project, we will develop a system "blueprint" for responding to young people's use of IPV.

Previously, we have recruited practitioners who work with young people using IPV. We are now seeking to speak with practitioners who are supporting those experiencing it.

If this sounds like you or someone you know, we'd love for you to get in touch!

https://rmit.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eljrc281aPkmbgW?utm

23/07/2025

Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) have officially launched their new remand support pilot program!

In 2023 we conducted a review of VLA's remand services, with key findings including:
• Ongoing collaboration with people who have experienced remand is essential and of top priority, in order to strengthen these services.
• Individuals on remand value consistent legal representation and require more time with their lawyers.
• There is serious need to provide non-legal supports to people facing remand in addition to legal supports.

VLA have now launched a two-year pilot for their new Remand Support Service (RSS), at the Melbourne Custody Centre funded by the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner (VLSB). In their media release, VLA have stated "Under the new RSS, a small team of remand support practitioners with experience supporting people in the justice system will help address these non-legal needs. The RSS team will work in close collaboration with lawyers to support and facilitate clients’ participation in the legal process."

We are incredibly pleased to see findings from our review adopted and applied in order to better support Victorians facing remand.

You can read more about the program here: https://www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/our-new-remand-support-service-pilot-begins-operations
And find our 2023 review here:https://www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-04/vla-remand-review-final-report.pdf

21/07/2025

How can journalists report responsibly and accurately on violence against women when legal restrictions apply?

Our Watch and the CIJ are presenting a two-part webinar that will equip journalists, editors, and media professionals with the tools to navigate legal, ethical, and trauma-informed considerations when covering these stories.

This webinar is free and takes place on Thursday 24th July. Register for your place on their website below!

https://www.ourwatch.org.au/events/exploring-legal-restrictions-when-reporting-on-violence-against-women

Address

124 La Trobe Street
Melbourne, VIC
3000

Website

https://cij.org.au/

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