The research cited the Victorian Neighbourhood Justice Centre, which has been in operation for more than 10 years and has assisted in “reducing the crime rate in the City of Yarra and improving community wellbeing and cohesion”.

With WA Corrective Services spending over $900 million in the past year, and 39 per cent of imprisoned offenders back behind bars within two years of release, UWA Law School associate professor Sarah Murray said new approaches were needed using local knowledge and bringing the community into the picture.

“What’s of particular concern is that WA has the highest imprisonment rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia,” she said.

“We need to partner with local Elders, Aboriginal-controlled organisations and key community and government groups to co-design justice solutions that meet local needs and provide culturally safer justice experiences.”

“The centre would house a court but it becomes so much more than that, hosting local events for the community and allowing members of the public to play an active role in creating positive and safe neighbourhoods,” she said.

For such centres, imprisonment would be just one of a suite of options that could be required, she said.

“However, in other cases, engagement with the criminal justice system is an opportunity for offenders to turn their lives around using community-based options that allow them to undergo drug or alcohol treatment, access mental health services or secure permanent housing or employment,” she added.

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“Another benefit of a Community Justice Centre is that the court lists, services and crime prevention activities would be streamlined and tailored to the unique needs of the particular locality, creating more efficient and effective justice outcomes.”