Key Facts:
- Recent bail reforms have led to severe overcrowding in Victoria's police cells, with hundreds being moved between facilities in breach of human rights
- The situation poses particular risks to Aboriginal people in custody and is separating detainees from their families and communities
- Jesuit Social Services stands in solidarity with VALS and others, sounding the alarm about the treatment of Aboriginal people in police custody.
- Victoria's justice system is under significant strain, with overcrowded prisons becoming less safe and less effective at supporting community safety
- Jesuit Social Services calls for urgent government action to implement alternatives such as diversion and restorative justice programs
Severe and dangerous overcrowding in Victoria's police cells is a result of bail reforms introduced last year and there is an urgent need for a change in direction from the Government, according to Jesuit Social Services.
"Reporting released today shows that hundreds of Victorians are being moved between police cells in a manner that breaches their human rights and puts people's safety at real risk. Reforms to bail laws have seen an increase in the number of people, including children, being held in custody while on remand," says Jesuit Social Services CEO Julie Edwards.
"As the recent advocacy from Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service highlights, the real-world consequences of these bail reforms is people being taken far away from their families and communities, and conditions that make deaths in custody a real and serious risk. The Government must act urgently to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all Victorians in custody.
"While these stories are shocking, they are not surprising. We have seen multiple reports from across the justice system that show a system under enormous strain. The Victorian Government must change course – we know that there are alternatives to imprisonment that are effective and make our communities safer.
"Rapidly expanding and overcrowded prisons are less safe and do not effectively support community safety. In Victoria, expenditure on the detention of young people has almost tripled in the past decade – from $115 million in 2015-16 to $323 million in 2024-25. The daily cost of incarcerating a young person in Victoria is $7,304 per day, or $2.6 million per year," says Ms Edwards.
"Why are we spending vast amounts of money to imprison people in unsafe conditions when there are evidence-based, effective alternatives? Instead of imprisoning people, the Victorian Government should be using diversion and restorative justice programs such as group conferencing wherever possible. The present approach is harming people and communities across our state and creating conditions where deaths in custody become inevitable.
"We know from listening to First Nations people and the organisations that represent them, like the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, that the present approach poses a particular risk to the safety of Aboriginal people who are in custody. It is time for the Government to listen and address this crisis as a matter of urgency."
