India, Oct. 20 -- On 7 November 2023, Victoria decriminalised public intoxication, recognising a long history of over-policing and serious harm to First Nations and other vulnerable peoples, including deaths in custody. A new evaluation report from Monash University has found that the reforms have met their core intent: no person has died in police custody or been placed in a police cell solely for being intoxicated in public since the reforms began, although opportunities to enhance people's life outcomes remain.
Victoria remains the only Australian jurisdiction that did not introduce replacement police powers such as protective custody, recognising the significant harms associated with such powers and a commitment to genuine health-led c...