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Victor Darcy moved to Kempsey over 20 years ago with one goal in mind, to help Indigenous people get the best start in life and keep them out of jail.
Mr Darcy, who is a Wiradjuri man originally from Central West NSW, works as a Senior Aboriginal Client and Community Support Officer.
"My job is to guide any Aboriginal clients who come into the court or the criminal justice system through the process," he said.
His core duty in the department is to coordinate the Circle Sentencing Court Program in Kempsey and Macksville.
The program leaves the punishment of convicted offenders up to a group comprising Indigenous elders, the magistrate, police, legal officials, parents or guardians, and victims.
It was originally developed and implemented by the Aboriginal Justice Advisory Council and has been operating in Kempsey since 2005.
The program was recognised in the New South Wales Premier's Awards for Tackling Longstanding Social Challenges in 2020.
Program set to expand
Mr Darcy said the award has given them the platform to expand the program to other communities.
"I have always thought that it needs to be expanded across NSW, and the award has now highlighted the success we are having with it and enabled us to do more," he said.
"There will be three new locations in one rollout of the program, with more to come later on."
Mr Darcy has been an avid advocate for the program ever since he first heard of the concept.
"I knew about the program since its discussion papers stage, and I thought, 'yeah, that's what I want to do,'" he said. "I just thought it was about time something like this was implemented in the justice system.
"It's been over 200 years since an Aboriginal person has had a right or say about how they lived, this has given them that right back to some degree, by having a say in their community and about their people.
"I think it's the best program that has come out of this department."
Changing perspectives
While Mr Darcy saw "the beauty" of the program, other people in the community were left skeptical as to how it could help Indigenous people.
"When I first came here, a lot of people weren't sure of it and there were a lot of myths floating around," he said. "A lot of people just couldn't see the benefits of the program because it was something new to them."
Local Elder Aunty Mavis Davis is one of many in the community who now supports the program, despite being one of its biggest critics at the start.
She told the Macleay Argus in June that after sitting in the first Circle Sentencing session, she is "now the number one supporter" of the program.
Mr Darcy said it was encouraging to see the community change their views about the program after they witnessed its impact.
"The first thing I wanted to do when I got here was to dispel all those myths and create a clean slate where I could start building the platform for the program here," he said.
"I had that many arguments and that many blues with people over it at the start, but it opened a discussion that I think the community was ready to have."
Amongst the people who were skeptical at the beginning, one person stood out in support of the program and Mr Darcy's efforts to make it a success - retired magistrate Wayne Evans.
"He was my biggest supporter at the start," Mr Darcy said. "We wouldn't be where we are now if it weren't for him."
Mr Evans was the magistrate when the program first started in 2005.
"His support as the local magistrate gave the program the credibility it needed to get it running successfully, and he was also really good with working with the Aboriginal community.
"We couldn't have asked for a better magistrate to kickstart the program here in Kempsey."
Circle's success
Mr Darcy said the Circle Sentencing Court Program is "where magic happens".
"I haven't seen that same type of magic with a lot of other programs, there's just something very unique and special about it," he said.
"We've had a lot of hits and a lot of misses, but those hits have seen some of the best outcomes possible, and that's the most important thing."
Mr Darcy said he often thinks about one young person who benefited from the program.
"I had one young fella in Nambucca Valley," he said. "It was his first time in the system, and we were able to leave him with no criminal record.
"He got out of his community and went on to study law, and he's never been through the criminal justice system again.
"That is the magic and beauty of circle sentencing, it's to never see those young people back again, and to try and catch them before they get too involved in the system and build up a record."
Mr Darcy said he's excited to see the program expanded to different communities.
"I saw the beauty of the program from the moment I saw it on paper, so it's exciting to see it grow and have success in other communities... it's what I always envisioned happening."
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