Over the last decade, Aboriginal communities in New South Wales have been implementing justice reinvestment (JR) to address Aboriginal over-representation in the justice system. They have returned to its early conceptualisation in the US as a place-based approach that addresses drivers of offending, whilst also emphasising self-determination. They define reinvestment, a key element of JR, as a redirection of funds away from more punitive justice responses into localised prevention approaches, but also as a much broader shift in resources and decision-making.

This report presents an urgent call to action for the NSW Government to invest in JR, framed by Aboriginal definitions of reinvestment. Aboriginal over-representation in NSW continues to rise, alongside increases in NSW Government expenditure on incarceration. Aboriginal communities have been leading JR in NSW for close to a decade now. And while in some areas NSW Government policy aligns with and/or is facilitating reinvestment in NSW, including through the Closing the Gap strategy, additional action is required of government.