The Centre for Innovative Justice (CIJ) has played a key role in shaping the Australian Law Reform Commission's (ALRC) Safe, Informed, Supported: Reforming Justice Responses to Sexual Violence report.
The ALRC's report on justice system responses to sexual violence found that there are systemic barriers to reporting sexual violence and engaging safely with the system.
When survivors do engage with the justice system, they can find that it often causes further harm or re-traumatisation, a reality long recognised by the service and legal sectors.
The report made a raft of recommendations about improving access to legal assistance, information and navigation, as well as safe and supported ways to disclose sexual harm. Just as importantly, the report made strong and unprecedented recommendations about expanding and embedding restorative justice to meet survivors' needs more effectively.
CIJ's two submissions to the report, and their broader program of research and expertise in sexual violence, were cited 60 times by the Commission in their final report.
Elena Campbell, an Associate Director at CIJ, said the report drew extensively on the CIJ's work and expertise in its conclusions and recommendations.
"We were pleased to see the Commission drew on CIJ's work in relation to sexual violence and crime victimisation, particularly in its recommendations regarding the value of legal assistance and safe opportunities for disclosure," she said.
Recommendation 1 in the report called for national investment in Safe, Informed and Supported Services, providing combined access to Independent Legal Services, Justice Navigators and Safe Disclosure options.
The CIJ has long recognised and advocated the benefits of legal advice for victims of crime, including sexual violence, as highlighted in its reports Strengthening Victoria's Victim Support System and This is my story. It's your case, but it's my story.
The latter report explored in detail the way in which the criminal legal system can often be a "whole new trauma" for survivors, leading many to conclude that we should just "burn it down".
