The Neighbourhood Justice Centre in Australia: Exploring staff perceptions of their roles

Abstract

Community Justice Centres (CJCs) provide an innovative problem-solving court model that aims to address the root causes of offending. The Neighbourhood Justice Centre (NJC) in Melbourne, Australia, is an example of a CJC that subscribes to the principle of community justice. This article is based on a study conducted in Melbourne, Australia, and explores staff perceptions of the NJC and their roles within it. The findings presented in this article stem from semi-structured interviews conducted with eleven current and former NJC staff members.

The key findings of this study suggests that the principle of community justice guides the operation of the NJC and is evident in the overall culture of the centre. Staff place an emphasis on having shared values and placing the ‘community’ element of the centre before the ‘justice’ element when fulfilling their roles. In addition, the staff of the centre highlight the importance of relationship-building and collaboration with each other, clients, and the community as a whole. Ultimately, the staff of the centre must also be advocates of the NJC for it to have longevity as a model.

The findings of this study indicate that recruiting staff with certain values and skills is imperative to preserve the NJC's commitment to community justice. Without this commitment, the centre deviates from its overall purpose, and also risks losing its legitimacy within the established criminal justice system.