‘Changing the justice system’: Victorian Liberal Brad Battin goes from tough on crime to keeping people out of jail

Exclusive: former police officer says those who commit low-level crimes should not be in prisons

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After years of tough-on-crime policies being pushed by the Victorian Coalition, Liberal MP Brad Battin is pursuing a different goal: using money currently spent locking people up to keep them out of prison.

After his appointment as the opposition’s criminal justice reform spokesperson, Battin – who worked in prisons and later became a police officer before entering politics – said it was possible to prioritise community safety while also finding alternative punishments for people who should not be in jail.

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