Victoria’s growing prison population, along with the state’s appointment of judges, is set to be probed under a fresh review.
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The appointment of Victorian judges and magistrates will come under scrutiny in a wide-ranging review into the state’s criminal justice system.
The state parliamentary inquiry will probe Victoria’s growing prison population, and ways to reduce rates of criminal recidivism.
Under its terms of reference it will also consider the appointment of judicial officers, and look to outside Victoria for ways the system could be improved.
And it will examine “how to ensure that judges and magistrates have appropriate knowledge and expertise when sentencing and dealing with offenders”…
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Committee chair Fiona Patten said submissions would identify what issues were of most concern.
“This is a unique opportunity for experts and members of the Victorian community to make a submission to a major inquiry on the current operation of our criminal justice system and how it might be improved,” Ms Patten said.
“We welcome contributions on aspects of the system such as crime rates, remand populations, imprisonment levels, specific prisoner cohorts, strategies to reduce offending, and alternatives to prison.
“It will also examine the appointment and training of judges.”
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