Victoria's public intoxication reform shows improved custody outcomes

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 16 Oct, 18:02 · Archive

Victoria's 2023 decriminalisation of public intoxication has resulted in no related deaths in custody or people locked up purely for being drunk in public, according to a Monash University evaluation released on Friday. The report, which evaluated the reform's impacts by speaking to stakeholders including community members, police and venue owners, praised police efforts to maintain a health-led approach.

Arrests for secondary offences during intoxication-related events occurred in only five per cent of matters overall. However, Aboriginal people remained twice as likely to be arrested than the general population. First Nations and other vulnerable groups, including youth, refugees, migrants, people with disabilities and those experiencing domestic violence, have historically suffered most from policies criminalising public drunkenness, according to report lead author Kyllie Cripps, a Palawa woman and professor.

The decriminalisation was partly motivated by an inquest into the 2017 death of Yorta Yorta woman Tanya Day. Ms Day was arrested for being drunk in a public place after falling asleep on a train and died after hitting her head in a concrete cell at Castlemaine Police Station. Professor Cripps said the reform addressed how First Nations communities had carried a disproportionate burden of over-policing and criminalisation for decades.

How it is being reported

• Public intoxication reforms slash deaths in custodyDecriminalising public intoxication in one state has led to better outcomes, in particular for First Nations people who have suffered most from over-policing.The West Australian · 16 Oct, 17:32
• Public intoxication reforms slash deaths in custodyDecriminalising public intoxication in one state has led to better outcomes, in particular for First Nations people who have suffered most from over-policing.Perth Now · 16 Oct, 17:32

In this story: Victoria · Monash University · Tanya Day · Kyllie Cripps · Castlemaine Police Station

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