2nd Edition, May 2026
Learning from the past
and planning for a better future.
Where is the justice in the criminal justice system in Australia?
That is the question which this publication seeks to answer.
Australia needs to urgently address the breakdown of Social Cohesion, and this will not be achieved by antiquated social control methods that have dismally failed in the past two centuries.
Available mAY 2026
Buy your copy of SEEKING JUSTICE
About the book
MEDIA RELEASE: DEAKIN UNIVERSITY, FEBRUARY 2026
A groundbreaking analysis of Australia’s criminal justice system published by pre-eminent law reform campaigner, Professor Peter Norden AO.
Professor Norden, an Honorary Fellow at Deakin University and Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology, calls for a major change in criminal justice administration across all states and territories of Australia, including a national goal to reduce prison populations by 50 per cent over the next decade.
This publication is based on his 40 years’ involvement with the criminal justice system and seeks to chart a whole new direction….
PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS:
Peter Norden was a prison chaplain and has worked in prison ministry for more than 40 years, many of them within the Dickensian confines of Pentridge Prison.
His newly released publication SEEKING JUSTICE reveals his unique perspective on a system that features not much justice and less system.
Over the decades of his working life, Peter Norden has gathered insights that few others could.
For decades he has been in and out of every prison in Australia and good many elsewhere. His experiences have led him to argue for a complete rethink.
Jon Faine AM, former Melbourne ABC Broadcaster.
FURTHER REVIEWS:
Professor Eileen Baldry AO, Deputy Vice Chancellor UNSW, Criminologist
Reflecting on decades of front-line work and advocacy, Peter Norden comes back to principles with which he began: genuine social justice. Australia will be a far more just society if we listen to and act on Peter Norden’s message.
Adjunct Professor Rhonda Galbally AC, Disability Royal Commissioner, Disability Rights Advocate
This dynamic account is an essential read. Peter Norden, in this publication, address the urgent need for prison reform in this country and new emphasis on building Social Cohesion.
Emeritus Professor Rick Sarre AM, Criminologist, former Dean of Law and Criminal Justice at the University of South Australia
With his breadth of experience and depth of insight, Peter Norden is ideally placed to chart a new vision for criminal justice in Australia. He directs our attention to the principles of restoration, healing and relationship building.
Julian McMahon AC, SC. Melbourne Barrister, President of the Capital Punishment Justice Project.
Peter Norden’s long engagement at the face-to-face level with so many in the ‘system’, from government ministers to prison guards, from prisoners to their families, he directs our attention to the principles of restorative justice.