Good records management is the foundation of government accountability. In Victoria, accountability is enshrined in the Public Administration Act 2004, which requires public servants to submit themselves to appropriate scrutiny. This typically includes scrutiny of the records they make or receive in the course of their duties. These records are known as 'public records'.

Well-managed public records enable governments to make informed decisions, to deliver services, and to demonstrate performance, transparency and accountability.

Ordered to be published

VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT PRINTER MARCH 2017

PP No 249, Session 2014–17

We have professionally engaged with Corrections Victoria (within the Department of Justice and Regulation), the Department of Health and Human Services, and Victoria Police throughout the course of the audit. In accordance with section 16(3) of the Audit Act 1994 we provided a copy of this report or relevant extracts to those agencies, and requested their submissions and comments.

Responsibility for the accuracy, fairness and balance of those comments rests solely with the agency head.

Responses were received as follows:

Effective monitoring, reporting and evaluation of the management of offenders on community correction orders (CCO) is important so that Corrections Victoria (CV) and other agencies can mitigate risks and continuously improve operations.

An integrated reporting environment allows senior management to effectively monitor CCO-related issues and give necessary direction. Reporting should include an appropriate mix of output and outcome measures so that CV can be sure it is meeting community expectations and achieving the goal of making communities safer.

Effectively managing offenders who are serving sentences in the community starts with an accurate and timely assessment of their risk of reoffending, as well as the factors that contribute to their criminal behaviour.

Case managers work with offenders to address these risks by providing support and supervision, addressing underlying issues, and ensuring compliance with the conditions of their community correction order (CCO). This support includes timely access to rehabilitation and community work programs if they are ordered by the courts.

Since 2011, legislative changes have significantly reformed Victoria's correctional system, including how community correction orders (CCO) are managed. To successfully implement these reforms, Corrections Victoria (CV) and the other agencies involved in managing CCOs need to identify and understand issues, communicate effectively with stakeholders throughout the CCO process, and allocate sufficient resources.

This Part looks at how effectively CV has planned to manage changes in the community corrections system.

A modern justice and corrections system aims to balance the community's desire to punish and denounce offenders with a pragmatic need to reform and rehabilitate individuals so they can return to a law-abiding life after they have served their sentence.

Prisons are Victoria's most intensive form of punishment in the hierarchy of available sentencing options. As an alternative to imprisonment, the practice of managing some offenders in the community offers significant cost savings and social benefits.

Ordered to be published

VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT PRINTER February 2017

PP No 225, Session 2014–17