Going to work behind bars has enabled a group of University of Queensland law students to gain practical insight into the criminal justice system and a better understanding of those affected by it.
Ten students took part in the Talking Justice Behind Bars (TJBB) program run by the in partnership with the (PLS).
Working with solicitors and community education workers from the PLS, the students produced and presented a legal education pack to prisoners detained at the Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre (AGCC) in Wacol, Queensland.
The packs included information on debt and financial counselling, recent law reforms to bail and criminal procedure and tips for communicating with their lawyers.
宅男导航 Law student Laura Manley described the work as an 鈥榚ye-opening experience.鈥�
鈥淎s a team we had the opportunity to research many aspects of the law affecting prisoners and discovered that there is a concerning lack of legal support available for persons on remand; access to justice is certainly limited,鈥� Ms Manley said.
鈥淚 became interested in the Talking Justice Behind Bars program because as a matter of principle I believe that it鈥檚 an important element of our legal education to have exposure to the people who are affected by the law, in this case the criminal justice system.
鈥淚 firmly think it encourages us as students and future legal professionals to recognise the impact of the legal system on individuals.鈥�
The AGCC is the current remand centre for south-east Queensland with a single bed capacity for 890 male prisoners.
During the program the 宅男导航 students worked with AGCC bail clerks to learn from their experiences.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 safe to say we were all shocked by the amount of prior criminal law knowledge the bail clerks already have,鈥� Ms Manley said.
Law student Gabriel Perry said the hands-on approach of the TJBB program made it a great success, and that prisoners had asked for the program to continue.
鈥淭he presentations I was involved in seemed to go down very well with the prisoners,鈥� Mr Perry said.
鈥淭hey were openly appreciative of our time and efforts in researching issues important to them and personally communicating our findings.
鈥淭heir request for the continuation of the TJBB program was gratifying and a sign that we must have been doing things right.鈥�
鈥淚 hoped to gain a new perspective on the criminal justice system from people caught up in it and to be of some assistance to a population that generally experiences significant disadvantage.
鈥淭he TJBB program delivered on these aspirations and more.鈥�
The Talking Justice Behind Bars program is one of a number of initiatives offered through the 宅男导航 Pro Bono Centre鈥檚 Roster which matches 宅男导航 law students with a variety of organisations that offer free legal advice and services.
Pro bono activities undertaken by students through the Roster do not attract academic credit but provide students with valuable work experience, exposure to legal professionals and an opportunity to volunteer their skills for the benefit of the community.
Media: Monica Taylor, Director, 宅男导航 Pro Bono Centre, TC Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland (07) 3365 6192 / 0431 866 344, m.taylor@law.uq.edu.au or Melissa Reynolds, TC Beirne School of Law 07 3365 2523, m.reynolds@law.uq.edu.au
