The Department of Justice is a world class corrective services organisation which provides support to the justice system and the community of Western Australia by ensuring the security and safety of the community, staff and those in the Department’s care.
The Department of Justice’s core focuses are:
- the security of detainees and prisoners in correctional facilities and offenders on community based orders
- the safety of our people
- the safety of offenders, detainees and prisoners
- rehabilitation.
The Department delivers two Men’s behaviour change programs:
The Not Our Way (NOW) program targets the factors related to family violence offending for Aboriginal men. It is based on the Safe at Home program written by Hall, McMaster and Associates (HMA) and was developed in consultation with Aboriginal staff and stakeholders to ensure cultural relevance and delivery suited to the learning styles of Aboriginal participants.
The NOW program is suitable for Aboriginal men with offences against their spouse and/or family members, or participants with a history of family violence. It explores a range of topics, including: negative attitudes and beliefs, managing mood states, key relationship skills, substance use and victim impact and empathy.
The program is offered in prison and in the community. In the community it is currently delivered as a ‘rolling’ program with multiple entry points. The program is 62.5 hours in total and participants attend a 2.5 hour session, once a week. In the prisons the NOW program is 82.5 hours long and delivered in 2.5 hour sessions, up to four times a week.
The Stopping Family Violence (SFV) program, developed by Ken McMaster (New Zealand), focuses on addressing family and domestic violence and encourages individuals to take responsibility for their behaviour and increase accountability to their families and the community.
The SFV program targets attitudes and beliefs that support abusive behaviour and violence; assists offenders to identify, understand and manage mood states; supports the development of key relationship skills; considers the impact of substance use; focuses on victim impact and empathy; and helps participants identify and manage risks.
The program is offered to male clients with an index offence of family violence or a history of family violence and can be provided in prison or in the community. The content of the 70 hour program is divided across 28 sessions (each 2.5 hours) and usually delivered twice a week.
