The Assessment and Referral Court (ARC) list at Shepparton is a specialist, pre-sentence stream of the Magistrates' Court of Victoria for people whose offending is connected to a mental illness, a cognitive impairment, or both. Rather than moving an accused person straight through the mainstream criminal process, the ARC list pauses to ask a different question: what underlying health, disability and support needs are driving the behaviour in front of the court, and what would it take to address them. Sitting within the Shepparton Law Courts at 18 High Street, Shepparton VIC 3630, the ARC list is one of a cluster of therapeutic and problem-solving programs the venue runs alongside its everyday criminal, civil, traffic and intervention order work. For anyone who has been referred, is supporting a family member, or is simply trying to understand what an ARC listing means, this page sets out how the list works, who is eligible, and what to expect on the day.
What the ARC list at Shepparton actually is
The ARC list is a problem-solving court. It brings the accused person, their lawyer, the police prosecutor, an ARC case manager and other supports around the same table as the magistrate to review progress against an individual support plan. The Magistrates' Court of Victoria describes ARC as a therapeutic court that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of the person while addressing the factors that contribute to offending. It is not a soft option, and it is not a separate building. The ARC list is a distinct division that conducts hearings using a fundamentally different process, but it operates from the same Shepparton Law Courts complex that opened in March 2018, a five-storey facility built next to the preserved 1939 courthouse to support the region's expanding court services.
Importantly, ARC is a pre-sentence court. A referral must be made before a matter can be heard in the list, and an assessment by an ARC case manager is required to confirm eligibility. At the end of a person's episode in ARC, the court's sentencing options are generally the same as those available in the mainstream court, including the power to send someone to prison. What changes is the depth of information the magistrate has, and the fact that successful participation is taken into account at the point of sentencing.
Where ARC fits among Shepparton's specialist programs
Shepparton is the headquarters court for the Magistrates' and Children's Court Hume Court Region, and it carries an unusually broad menu of specialist services for a regional venue. Alongside the ARC list, the court runs a Drug Court, one of only a handful of Magistrates' Court Drug Courts in Victoria, a Koori Court operating across three tiers, the Court Integrated Services Program (CISP), and a Specialist Family Violence Court Division that launched in October 2019, the first of its kind in the state. That concentration of therapeutic infrastructure matters, because it means an ARC participant at Shepparton is plugged into a wider ecosystem of assessment, case management and treatment referral rather than a single isolated program.
Who is eligible for the ARC list
ARC is designed for accused persons whose offending is linked to a diagnosable condition. Eligibility is grounded in the Magistrates' Court Act 1989 (Vic) and generally requires that the person has a mental illness, a cognitive impairment, or both. Cognitive impairment is understood broadly and can include an intellectual disability, an acquired brain injury or an autism spectrum condition. Participation is voluntary, which is a defining feature of the model: the accused person must agree to their matter being dealt with in the ARC list, because the program depends on genuine engagement rather than compulsion.
A few practical thresholds shape who can take part:
- Diagnostic criteria. The person must meet ARC's diagnostic criteria, usually supported by diagnostic evidence provided ahead of the assessment.
- Community-based. Applicants are generally required to be living in the community rather than in custody at the point of entry.
- Catchment. Offending is usually expected to have occurred within an ARC catchment area, and the person is typically expected to live within the court's catchment, though this can sit at the discretion of the magistrate.
- Consent and a plea. Because ARC is a pre-sentence list, a formal plea is entered before an individual support plan is approved, and the person commits to appearing before the ARC magistrate on a regular basis.
Contested bail hearings are not heard in ARC; those remain in the mainstream court. A referral and adjournment into ARC is best made at the earliest opportunity, which can occur at a bail hearing or a mention hearing.
How a referral is made
One of the more accessible features of the ARC model is who can start the process. A referral into the ARC list can be made by almost anyone connected to the matter, including the accused person themselves, their family, community service organisations, magistrates, Victoria Police, lawyers, or the Court Integrated Services Program. The referral pathway generally runs through these steps: confirm the offence falls within an ARC catchment area, check the eligibility criteria, seek a referral, complete the ARC referral form for the relevant court, provide diagnostic evidence, and attend an assessment with an ARC clinician. The Magistrates' Court organises the assessment and submits a report to the ARC magistrate, who decides on eligibility. If the person is accepted, a formal plea is entered and an individual support plan is developed.
What happens once you are in the ARC list
Acceptance into ARC is the beginning of a supervised episode, not the end of the matter. Participants work to an individual support plan (ISP) that sets out the goals to be addressed during their time in the list, and they return to court regularly so the magistrate can review progress. The Magistrates' Court of Victoria has described ARC as offering assessment and case management for a period of up to 12 months, which gives a sense of the intended intensity and duration of the program. The review hearings are deliberately collaborative: the person, their family, the case manager, the prosecutor and the legal representative sit at the same table as the magistrate to discuss engagement with treatment, housing, and other support services.
Compliance matters. If a participant does not meet the commitments in their individual support plan, the magistrate retains the power to transfer the matter back to the mainstream court for sentencing. Conversely, successful participation is weighed by the magistrate when the episode concludes and an appropriate sentence is determined. This is the practical mechanism through which therapeutic engagement can influence an outcome, without removing the court's full sentencing range.
The evidence behind the model
The ARC list is one of the more studied problem-solving courts in Australia. A two-year recidivism study of the ARC List program in the Magistrates' Court of Victoria found that successful completion of the list significantly reduced reoffending, and that the program also reduced the severity of offending behaviour after completion. The same body of research identified successful program completion as the single most significant predictor of not reoffending, or of a longer time before any further offending, ahead of factors such as gender and pre-program offence severity. Even for cohorts often considered difficult to treat, the findings were encouraging: a separate analysis reported that successful completion of the ARC List reduced recidivism for around 50% of offenders diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Program activity has been meaningful in scale, too. In one reported period, from 1 July 2018 to 30 April 2019, ARC received 236 referrals across all locations, with 93 new clients accepted onto the program.
These numbers should be read with the usual care. Evaluations of mental health courts differ in method, and results are not uniform across every cohort. But the weight of the Victorian evidence points in a consistent direction: engaging with the underlying drivers of offending, under judicial supervision, can lower the likelihood and seriousness of future contact with the justice system.
Practical details for attending Shepparton Law Courts
The Shepparton Law Courts sit at 18 High Street, right in the centre of town, with a postal address of PO Box 607, Shepparton VIC 3630. The registry is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:30pm, and is closed on weekends and public holidays. On-street parking is available around the precinct, and there is a multi-level car park on Stewart Street for anyone who would rather not circle the block. The court serves Shepparton, Mooroopna and the surrounding Goulburn Valley district in northern Victoria, roughly a couple of hours' drive north of Melbourne, which makes it the natural hub for court users across a wide regional catchment.
If your matter is listed, your first appearance is generally a mention, not a trial. A mention is the day your matter is formally listed, your lawyer updates the magistrate on where things stand, and the case is moved forward. Once your name is called, a straightforward mention is often over within five to twenty minutes, though the wait beforehand can be longer because the magistrate works through the whole list in turn. Arriving early, bringing any paperwork, and knowing which courtroom you are in all help the day run more smoothly.
How to check the daily ARC and Magistrates' Court list
Court users, lawyers and support workers frequently need to confirm where and when a matter is being heard. Daily listings for the venue are published so you can see the day's mentions, hearings and specialist divisions in one place, and you can review the full Shepparton Magistrates' Court list to locate a name, a courtroom, or a listing time before you travel. If you are trying to understand how ARC fits within the broader Victorian system, or you want to compare programs across venues, the statewide Victorian court lists hub sets out the divisions and specialist streams operating across the state. Because ARC runs at multiple venues, it can also be useful to look at how a sibling list such as the Bendigo ARC list operates, particularly as the program has been progressively expanded into regional Victoria in recent years.
Why the ARC list matters for the Goulburn Valley
Regional communities have historically had less access to specialist and therapeutic court programs than metropolitan Melbourne. The staged expansion of ARC across Victoria, which reached regional centres including Bendigo, has been framed explicitly around increasing access for people in regional areas who might otherwise miss out on intensive support. For the Goulburn Valley, the presence of an ARC list at Shepparton means that a person whose offending is bound up with untreated mental illness or a cognitive impairment does not have to travel to the city to access a court prepared to deal with those underlying issues. Given that Shepparton is already the Hume Region's headquarters court and the site of Victoria's first Koori Court, which commenced sittings on 7 October 2002, the ARC list is a natural extension of a venue with deep experience in therapeutic and culturally responsive justice.
There is also a broader public interest dimension. The ARC list operates with one eye on public health as well as public safety. By connecting participants with treatment, housing and support services, and by holding them accountable through regular judicial review, the model aims to reduce the churn of repeat, low-level offending that can otherwise dominate a regional court's workload. When the underlying drivers are addressed, the benefits flow beyond the individual to families, victims and the wider community.
Getting advice before your first ARC hearing
Accessing a specialist list is not automatic, and the pathway rewards early, informed action. Because a referral must be made and an assessment completed before a matter can be heard in ARC, and because the strength of the diagnostic evidence can shape the outcome of that assessment, it is worth speaking with a lawyer who understands how the Shepparton programs work well before your first mention. Victoria Legal Aid may grant legal assistance for summary criminal prosecutions listed for hearing in the ARC List, which can be an important source of support for eligible participants. Duty lawyers and community legal services in the region can also help you understand whether ARC, the Drug Court, the Koori Court or another pathway is the right fit for your circumstances.
Frequently asked questions
Is the ARC list a separate court from the Shepparton Magistrates' Court?
No. The ARC list is a specialist division of the Magistrates' Court of Victoria, and at Shepparton it operates from the same Shepparton Law Courts complex at 18 High Street. It uses a different, therapeutic process, but it is part of the same court, not a separate building or institution.
Do I have to plead guilty to take part in ARC?
ARC is a pre-sentence list, and a formal plea is entered before an individual support plan is approved. Participation is voluntary, so the accused person must agree to their matter being dealt with in the ARC list. You should get legal advice about how a plea fits your particular situation before making any decision.
How long does an ARC episode last?
The Magistrates' Court of Victoria has indicated ARC can provide assessment and case management for a period of up to 12 months. The exact length depends on the individual support plan and the person's progress, with regular review hearings before the ARC magistrate throughout.
Who can make a referral into the ARC list?
A referral can be made by a range of people, including the accused person, their family, community service organisations, magistrates, Victoria Police, lawyers, or the Court Integrated Services Program. Referrals should be made as early as possible, and can occur at a bail or mention hearing.
What happens if I do not comply with my support plan?
If a participant does not meet the commitments in their individual support plan, the magistrate can transfer the matter back to the mainstream court for sentencing. Successful participation, on the other hand, is taken into account by the magistrate when the episode concludes.
Where can I find the daily list for Shepparton?
Daily listings for the venue are published online. You can check the current Shepparton Magistrates' Court list to find a name, courtroom or listing time, and review the statewide Victorian listings hub to understand how ARC and other specialist streams operate across the state.