Thirty year partnership supporting First Nations prisoners
Queensland Corrective Services has celebrated 30 years of partnership with the Mackay-based Binga Birry Justice Group.
The group facilitates monthly Elder visits to Capricornia Correctional Centre and Townsville Correctional Complex to provide cultural support for First Nations prisoners.
Clocking up an estimated half a million kilometres travelling between Mackay, Rockhampton and Townsville over the decades, the Binga Birry Justice Group's visits support and encourage First Nations prisoners to make lasting changes that lead towards being contributing members in their communities at the end of their custodial sentence.
This strengths QCS' delivery of culturally appropriate reform to assist First Nations prisoners avoid reoffending so there are fewer victims of crime, by strengthening prisoners' connection to community.
We thank Binga Birry Justice Group and other Elder groups for their ongoing commitment to helping QCS' Cultural Liaison Officers and Cultural Development Officers build the agency's cultural capability to address the overrepresentation of First Nations people in custody.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and Elders at all Queensland correctional centres to develop and maintain meaningful community partnerships and ensure culturally informed and practical solutions foster the successful reintegration of First Nations prisoners with their community, helping restore community safety.
