Review of our remand services

We have engaged the Centre for Innovative Justice (CIJ) to conduct a review of our remand services.

This review is a reflection of the importance of remand services to our clients, as well as the significant changes we’ve seen in the criminal justice system in recent years.

As we advocate for the government to make meaningful and urgent reforms to bail laws, this is an opportunity to make sure our services help clients to receive a fair hearing when facing remand.

We want to make sure our services are achieving our organisational goals. These include fairer outcomes for clients, helping to identify and address the reasons people end up facing remand, supporting our workforce and working collaboratively across the sector to influence change.

Our remand services model has remained largely static for a long time. While we have made changes to our duty lawyer guidelines and funding guidelines for bail applications in recent years, this broader review forms part of our Corporate Plan for 2022–23.

The CIJ will be conducting targeted focus group sessions in April with VLA staff and panel practitioners. The CIJ will also speak to others involved in the remand system including the Magistrates Court of Victoria.

Most importantly, the review team will speak to people who experience of the criminal justice system to understand how our services can be designed to better meet their needs.

The CIJ will provide the final report in June.

More information

If you have any questions about the review please get in touch with Director, Summary Crime and Therapeutic Justice, Kate Bundrock at Kate.Bundrock@vla.vic.gov.au.