The AJR Project is an Australian Research Council funded Discovery project that is being run out of the University of New South Wales in 2013 and 2014.
The research undertaken by the AJR Project will examine the characteristics of Justice Reinvestment programs used in other countries which reduce spending on prisons and reinvest the savings in high crime communities to reduce crime and build community services. It will analyse whether such programs can be developed in the Australian context.
The central aim of the AJR Project is to undertake a through examination of the theoretical foundations of Justice Reinvestment and its suitability to the Australian penal context.
The research will consider the following four key issues:
- What are the conceptual underpinnins of Justice Reinvestment?
- What are the social-moral aspects of Justice Reinvestment policy and are there limitations to the rational approach?
- Can place-based approaches respond effectively to entrenched disadvantage?
- How might Justice Reinvestment translate into the Australian context?
The research project utilises a mixed methods approach including theoretical and policy anaylsis, legal research, workshops and interviews. The various methodological strands of the project will be run simultaneously and taken together will provide an assessment of the potential for Justice Reinvestment in Australia.
The AJR Project will provide a sound theoretical and practical foundation for the future development of Justice Reinvestment strategies in Australia, with significance for both scholars and policy makers.