Judith Lazarus AM

Ms Judy Lazarus is a highly respected trailblazer in the corrections field. Through her outstanding contribution, Judy is credited with directly reducing recidivism and preventing the transfer of criminal behaviours across generations.

Judy worked for the Victorian Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders from 1986-2004 and served as Chief Executive Officer from 1993. The Association is committed to supporting the families of prisoners and to helping maintain secure family structures as an effective means of preventing recidivism.

In 2003, Judy was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study in Canada, USA and UK to identify strategies aimed at breaking the cycle of offending behaviour. Her study led to the establishment of the Judy Lazarus Transitional Centre in 2007, a secure site located adjacent to the Melbourne Assessment Prison in West Melbourne. The Centre provides a supervised pathway back to society for selected prisoners nearing the end of their sentences by helping them address the difficult family, material and social problems they are likely to face after release, thereby lessening the likelihood that they will re-offend and return to prison.

Since her retirement, Judy has lived in Beechworth where she is an inspirational leader and change agent. She has worked with the management of Beechworth prison to benefit the community and prisoners through identifying work options, and has initiated the renovation and restoration of the Beechworth Neighbourhood Centre.

In the difficult field of reducing recidivism, the contribution of Judy Lazarus will benefit the Victorian community and many individuals for generations to come.