Alternatives to detention (ATD) is a term that refers to any laws, policies or practices that reduce detention and enable community placement.

Examples of ATD include laws that prevent the imprisonment of children, victims of trafficking or refugees, or policies that allow people to remain in the community with 1-1 social service support while they await the outcome of their case.

It is important to note that there is no single agreement on what counts as ATD. A number of practices have been used by different governments worldwide and referred to as ‘alternatives to detention’, varying in the extent to which they respect, interfere with or violate human rights – some of these practices are closer to alternative forms of detention, rather than rights-based ATD.

In our view, for policies and practices to qualify as ATD, they must actively comply with human rights, and support people to live normal lives in the community.