The Alice Springs Alternative to Custody Program

The Alice Springs ATC program commenced in January 2021. More than three-quarters of the 25 participants have graduated and have yet to reoffend.
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The majority of those women are now working or studying in their communities. Participants can stay for up to six months and receive targeted rehabilitation based on cultural values and leadership.
Leanne Liddle, the director of the NT Aboriginal Justice Unit and the Territory’s 2022 Australian of the Year said women, many of them young mothers, were being locked up in the Northern Territory for crimes that are frequently non-violent, further compounding disadvantage and intergenerational disadvantage.
“When you look at the demographics of the women who are behind bars in the Territory, most are Aboriginal, most have children, many have been victims of crime themselves, they have poor English language skills and will be serving a sentence of less than six months,” Ms Liddle said.
“We really have to ask ourselves whether prison is the best thing for them; the best way to get them the support they need to prevent them reoffending; and the best way to make their communities safer.”
Fortunately, initiatives such as the Alice Springs Life Skills program are showing that there is a smarter way of closing this revolving door of incarceration.
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