Community
12 March, 2025
Brother Marty playing a crucial role in community
The Christian Brother is part of the Mount Isa Community Justice Group Program.
When there are communication or logistical barriers between an Indigenous offender and the criminal justice system, Marty McHugh is often the first point of call.
The calmly-spoken Christian Brother has spent more than a decade as the appointed Mount Isa community representative in the Mount Isa Community Justice Group Program (CJGP).
The program was established about 30 years ago in response to findings from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, which confronted the over-representation of Indigenous Australians in the justice system.
The scheme, which has more than 50 groups across the state, appoints community members of good character to serve as grassroots intermediaries between the local Indigenous community, accused offenders and the justice system.
His role has a very broad scope.
On any given day, Brother Marty can be called to provide character and cultural reports on those being sentenced or applying for bail, collect people facing court and Murri court from the airport and provide emotional support to alleged offenders and their families.
He is also sometimes called on to locate those who have been skipping their court hearings, which allows him to provide an unofficial warning about the potential consequences if the individual does not heed the messages from the courts and police.
“I warn them that if I can find you, then the police can also find you and you don’t want to go to the lock up if the police find you,” he explained.
“Then we discuss any arrangements we need to make to ensure they get to their next court date.”
Brother Marty’s outreach extends beyond the court itself – he assists at the North West Queensland Indigenous Community Social Services (NWQICSS) Men’s Group, which gathers a few dozen blokes together each week to discuss respectful relationships, the legal system and substance control issues.
He also maintains relationships with many North West men locked up in jails at the coast.
Brother Marty says he receives regular phone calls from jail and even collects a few dozen Christmas cards each year.
When the men are eventually released and arrive back in Mount Isa on the Greyhound bus, Brother Marty is there to meet them and assist with gathering the essential items required to re-enter society, such as a fresh change of clothes and some basic documents.
Brother Marty said he believed reintegration could be more valuable if there was a gradual, staggered approach over a few weeks rather than just a sudden release from the jail environment.
“I see men return from jail and they are a lot more settled because they have had structure in their lives,” he said.
“But often they are returning straight back to the overcrowded housing or the alcohol and other social issues that got them in trouble in the first place.”