Allocating Resources in Corrections and Community Welfare (From Costs and Benefits in Planning Crime Prevention - Proceedings of a Seminar, April 28, 1982, P 40-45 - See NCJ-86712)

• NCJ Number: 86714
• Author(s): B Apsey
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 6 pages
• Sale Source: New South Wales
• Language: English
• Country: Australia

Annotation

This presentation addresses Victoria's (Australia) efforts to provide effective welfare and correctional services within the current environment of budgetary constraints, with attention to community involvement and policy planning.

Abstract

Expenditures in Victoria for law, order, and public safety represent about 10 percent of the State budget, which is substantially lower than in other States. Furthermore, imprisonment and intervention rates are relatively low and there is little evidence of social dysfunction. The Department of Community Welfare Services has focused on programs to strengthen community resources and deliver services through local agencies, such as honorary probation officers and day attendance centers. To identify community needs before allocating resources, the Department has developed a social indicators program which monitors trends and the impact of new policies on small geographic units. It has also formulated 5-year plans for its major divisions -- corrections, community, family, and management. Many criminal justice problems are beyond the resources and functions of any one department, and a mechanism is needed to coordinate research by various organizations and develop integrated policies which make maximum use of the funds available. A controversial issue in Victoria is rebuilding its overcrowded and antiquated prisons. While alternatives to incarceration deserve funding, they should not receive it at the cost of sacrificing those currently inside prison walls.