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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · 16h

Instead of playing into the stigma around employing people with a criminal record, the government should a take leadership role in ensuring any work done in prison is fulfilling, rewarding, and connects directly to a job post-release.

Read more about our employment programs here:

How we help - returning to work

Having a job is one of the leading factors for enabling a person to successfully reintegrate into their community after contact with the criminal justice system. Life outside prison presents new and d...

www.vacro.org.au

Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · 16h

"Information about what companies use prison labour in Victoria is held notoriously tight...the government has labelled this information commercial in confidence, and has previously argued the release of such details could harm prisoners’ post-release employment prospects."

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/the-machete-bin-mystery-and-the-answers-behind-prison-w…

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · 1d

Learn more about our Family Therapy program here:

Family Therapy Program

Supporting parents on both sides of the prison gate, along with their families.

www.vacro.org.au

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · 1d

In Romy’s own words: “It’s such a privilege that people feel like they can share the most private parts of their lives with me, and even 16 years later I am still amazed that they’ll sit in the room and share such vulnerability. I don’t take that for granted.”

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · 1d

Romy S. joined Vacro 16 years ago and has been instrumental in shaping the way we deliver Family Therapy since the program’s inception. Thank you Romy, and congratulations on this milestone.

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · 3d

Our submission to the Senate Inquiry into Australia's Youth Justice and Incarceration System (www.vacro.org.au/Handlers/Dow...) argued for a national approach to youth justice that foregrounds evidence-based interventions to support desistance among children and young people in their communities.

Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · 3d

We should be wary of just adopting another country's policies. Early 2000s Glasgow is nothing like Melbourne today. But a public health/social welfare approach to youth crime is undoubtedly the way forward. Governments must explore approaches by working with civil society orgs - we know what works.

How Victoria could follow Scotland’s lead and cut knife crime and youth offending

A controversial policing tactic which last year resulted in Scotland emptying its jails of offenders aged under 18 could be the key to tackling youth crime in Victoria.

www.theage.com.au

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · 6d

"Most of the cost of that phone call is paying a telco to do monitoring and surveillance...we don't think that's a cost that should be passed onto families."

Vacro CEO Marius Smith updates ABC Radio National's Life Matters on our phone calls campaign:

Phone calls from prison are expensive. Should they be free? - ABC listen

For most people, calling a loved one is part of daily life. But in prison, the high cost of phone calls can cut people off from vital family support. Research shows that those who stay connected with…

www.abc.net.au

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · 7d

At our recent All Staff Meeting we celebrated some big staff milestones.

Melanie Field-Pimm first joined us on a placement in the 90s, came back to manage our family services in 2005, and marks her 20th anniversary with us as Executive Director of Development.

Join us in congratulating Mel!

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · 8d

With an election looming and 'law and order' firmly on the agenda, it's more important than ever to get regular, reliable, trustworthy information. At our quarterly All Staff Meeting last month, we reflected on our 153 years of expertise in this space and looked ahead to a challenging year.

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · 8d

After a brief hiatus from social media, Vacro is back online!
For the latest news, tools, resources, and expert voices from Victoria's specialist criminal justice reintegration service, follow us here or:
💡: linkedin.com/company/vacr...
📘: www.facebook.com/vacroau

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · May 15

Two ABC articles, one day apart. Two diametrically opposed approaches to crime prevention.

One works. The other just got three quarters of a billion dollars in funding.

If we want stronger, safer communities that can overcome the drivers of crime, we *must* invest in them instead.

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Reposted by Vacro

Dr. Abigail Lewis @abigaillewis.bsky.social · Apr 17

Do you know someone who:

🟣Is a digital comms whizz & can do socials, email, website, & even a bit of video/graphic design?!

🟣Is passionate & knowledgeable about justice system reform?!

🟣Wants flexible p/t hours at an NFP that walks the talk & truly supports wellbeing?!

Send them to me please! ⤵️

Digital Communications & Advocacy Specialist

Position Snapshot Salary range - $85,126.08 - $91,587.60 (Pro Rata) Level 4 SCHADS Award 2010 + Superannuation (pay point dependent on qualifications and experience) Part time 0.6FTE ongoing position ...

www.vacro.org.au

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · Mar 13

The VIC Government has announced plans to reverse its 2023 bail reforms.

This will hurt children, families, and communities. Harsh bail laws put thousands of people in prison who likely won’t be sentenced to a term of imprisonment and may not even be convicted of a crime.

Read our media release:

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · Mar 11

Read the ALRC report here: www.alrc.gov.au/publication/...

Read our submission here: www.vacro.org.au/Handlers/Dow...

Safe, Informed, Supported: Reforming Justice Responses to Sexual Violence (ALRC Report 143)

The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) report, Safe, Informed, Supported: Reforming Justice Responses to Sexual Violence (ALRC Report 143), was tabled in Parliament by the Attorney-General of Aus...

www.alrc.gov.au

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · Mar 11

Unfortunately, submissions that called for a shift from punishing perpetrators to preventing the violence, intervening early to stop it continuing, and providing robust reintegration support to stop it recurring after a prison sentence - such as ours - were barely acknowledged in the final report.

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · Mar 11

The @auslawreform.bsky.social found that mandatory minimum sentence rules for sexual offences in place around the country subject victims to exacerbated and often unnecessary trauma.

Sweeping changes recommended for how sexual violence is handled by courts

The Australian Law Reform Commission set out to try and address the strikingly low rate of reporting of sexual offences and even lower rates of prosecution and convictions.

www.abc.net.au

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · Mar 6

Seven incarcerated people have died since New York corrections officers began their strike - including one man allegedly beaten to death by guards.

The officers are protesting a 2022 law that strictly limited their use of solitary confinement.

9 in 10 officers have participated in the strike.

Seven Prisoners Die as New York Guard Strikes Cause Widespread Disarray (Gift Article)

Thousands of corrections officers at dozens of prisons have been protesting working conditions in wildcat strikes across the state.

www.nytimes.com

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · Mar 5

"This represents a deep and misguided attachment to prisons as the catch-all solution to the government’s failure to support people to thrive in the community, and is at odds with the evidence, which increasingly shows that prisons do not support community safety but rather undermine it."

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · Mar 5

"Governments spend money on the things that matter to them (building prisons), and drag their feet about the things that seemingly do not (preventing torture in prisons)."

Vacro board member @moniquehurley.bsky.social and Andreea Laschz in @overlandjournal.bsky.social:

Showing what really matters to us: on Australia’s continuing failure to honour the UN Convention Against Torture - Overland literary journal

So why have there been no — or only limited — moves to implement the bare minimum obligations pursuant to the OPCAT? The answer appears to be a lack of political will and a dangerous disregard for the...

overland.org.au

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · Mar 5

GEO Group operates two prisons right here in Victoria.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg 🇵🇸 @elizabethweill.bsky.social · Feb 27

GEO Group Chairman George Zoley said the company stands to gain up to $1 billion in additional revenue from detaining and surveilling undocumented immigrants. New for
@theappeal.org.

Private Prison Exec Calls Mass Deportation Plans ‘Unprecedented Opportunity’

GEO Group Chairman George Zoley said the company could gain up to $1 billion in additional revenue from the Trump administration’s policies.

theappeal.org

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Reposted by Vacro

FAMM Foundation @famm.org · Mar 4

First WA prison podcast, ‘Concrete Mama,’ launches at penitentiary
(via The Seattle Times )

www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

First WA prison podcast launches at penitentiary

An eight-episode season brings the realities of prison life — past and present — to listeners beyond the Walla Walla penitentiary’s fortress-like walls.

www.seattletimes.com

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · Mar 5

And for Australia:

Alex Burness @burness.bsky.social · Mar 4

Colorado forced every county jail to open a polling place in November for incarcerated voters. This had never happened in the country.

Guess what resulted?

Jail turnout rose *500%* over 2020.

Many lessons here for the rest of the U.S.

New in @bolts.bsky.social:

boltsmag.org/jail-voting-...

Jail Voting Soars in Colorado After State Mandates Polling Places in County Lockups - Bolts

Local officials had claimed they were already giving detained people ballot access, but Colorado's first-in-the-nation mandate forced their hands and increased turnout across the state.

boltsmag.org

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Vacro @vacro.bsky.social · Mar 4

Closures instead of 'reforms'.

Releases instead of transfers.

Inside the @curbprisons.bsky.social People’s Plan for Prison Closure:

California activists call on Newsom to close 10 prisons

Local groups are ramping up an abolitionist campaign, urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to direct funds from prisons and jails to supportive services

prismreports.org

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Reposted by Vacro

Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · Mar 3

Allowing COs to throw more people into solitary does not leave anyone better off — and it’s beyond shameful that this negotiation was even on the table.

buff.ly/uhozq4F

Deal reached to end illegal strike by New York state prison workers, governor says

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced an agreement to end a wildcat strike that has roiled the state’s prison system for more than a week.

apnews.com

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