Bail Support Trial
Ngurrambai (meaning “perceive” in the Ngunnawal language) is the ACT’s second Justice Reinvestment trial. The trial is designed to reduce the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on remand and their time spent on remand. The trial is available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and young people on remand, applying for bail, and people who require assistance to comply with bail conditions. The Bail Support Trial was first announced in December 2017.
The objectives of the trial are to deliver a culturally sensitive operational model:
In addition, clients are supported by the suite of programs offered by the Aboriginal organisations that help to address any other issues they are dealing with that may also affect their bail.
The Ngurrambai trial is run by two Ngurrambai Support Officers who attend the Magistrates Court to provide a range of supports to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people applying for or who have been granted bail. The Support Officers work together with clients and legal representatives to develop a Bail Plan which identifies immediate needs and set goals that support compliance with their bail conditions. These goals are likely to be about: housing, health, employment, education, or court appointed conditions. Each Bail Plan is unique to that person and is developed with the support of a Ngurrambai Support Officer. An Aboriginal Trial Coordinator has also been engaged by JACS to support the trial process and its evaluation.
At the conclusion of the trial, an evaluation of Ngurrambai will be conducted by the Australian National University – Centre for Social Research and Methods.
