Moorditj Ngoorndiak (pronounced more-ditch norndiyak, meaning ‘good thinking’ or ‘clear in mind’) is a program designed and run by Aborigines and takes a new approach to reducing crime.
Through the Wirrpanda Foundation, an entity of the West Coast Eagles Football Club, mentors work one-on-one with detainees and their families for up to four months in custody and then for at least six months on community release.
‘Two-thirds of young people leaving custody re-offend within six months, often due to peer pressure and a lack of positive role models,’ Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis said.
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READ NOW‘We can’t afford to keep doing things the same way and getting the same results. High rates of Aboriginal youth in detention are an unacceptable waste of young lives and potential.’
The $320,000 program is the first under a grant agreement funded by the Youth Justice Board’s $2 million Youth Justice Innovation Fund. The Government estimates it costs $814 a day to keep a young person in detention.