ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the mutual construction of race and criminal justice from the local, institutional level. It explores how localized constructions of nationhood and racialized identity contribute to the formation, transformation and orientation of criminal justice. The chapter uses the Victorian Department of Justice as its case example. The Victorian Department of Justice's practice in relation to Aboriginal offenders represents one of the first breaks in correctional history from the increasingly extending regulation of the science of offending behaviour and its discourse of anti-social offenders and categorical risks. The Victorian Aboriginal Justice Agreement: Phase One (VAJA1) aimed to reduce Aboriginal peoples' over-representation in Victoria's criminal justice system. The Agreement outlined a set of principles and objectives to guide 'the working relationship' between the Koori community and the Victorian Department of Justice. One such initiative involved conducting a review to identify if, how and when the Department of Justice implemented the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC).
