The mother of an intellectually disabled woman who was repeatedly abused in respite care says her daughter was barred from accessing justice because of her disability.
The Australian Human Rights Commission this week called for an urgent audit of justice services to people with disability, as Rosie Anne Fulton, a woman detained in WA because she her disability meant she was deemed unfit to plead, became the latest person to highlight this type of human rights breach. The Disability Discrimination Commissioner … Continued
Disability advocates say the indefinite detention of an Aboriginal woman in a West Australian jail is not an isolated case. The ABC’s Lateline program last night has revealed 23-year-old woman, who suffers from foetal alcohol syndrome, has spent the past 18 months in a Kalgoorlie jail without a conviction. The Aboriginal Disability Justice Campaign says … Continued
This report focuses on people with disabilities who need communication supports or who have complex and multiple support needs and who have come in contact with the criminal justice system. Negative assumptions and attitudes, coupled with a lack of support services and minimal provision of adjustments, often means that people with disabilities are viewed as … Continued
On 5 March 2013, the Law Reform Committee tabled its report on the Inquiry into Access to and Interaction with the Justice System by People with an Intellectual Disability and Their Families and Carers. During the course of the Inquiry, the Committee received 60 written submissions, and convened public hearings with 78 witnesses. The report … Continued
The state’s public advocate is calling for all prisoners to be routinely checked for all cognitive impairments, including acquired brain injuries and intellectual disabilities, when they enter jail. Colleen Pearce heads the independent body the Victorian government set up to protect the rights of people with a disability. She said it was critical to identify … Continued
An intellectually disabled man was left in prison for more than a year for a crime he could not have understood, largely because accommodation could not be found for him. County Court Judge Mark Taft called Ross Cunningham’s 371 days on remand an ”embarrassment to the administration of criminal justice” in a ruling on Friday … Continued
VICTORIA Police apprehend a disturbed person in the community on average every two hours and transport them to a hospital emergency department, according to a study into the challenges of policing the mentally ill. Such callouts do not often lead to criminal charges, with the bulk of people having threatened or attempted suicide or other … Continued
Closing date: October 31, 2012
This study investigates the experiences and perceptions of operational members of Victoria Police in relation to their contacts with people with intellectual disability (ID). Key interests for exploration included how frequently and in what context police reported coming into contact with people with ID, how they made this identification, and the challenges they experienced at … Continued
This session was presented at the 2012 Strengthening Disability Advocacy Conference: You Be The Judge held at Melbourne Park Conference Centre. This is a biennial event hosted by the Disability Advocacy Resource Unit (DARU), the Self Advocacy Resource Unit (SARU) and Disability Advocacy Victoria (DAV), the sector’s peak body.
This session was presented at the 2012 Strengthening Disability Advocacy Conference: You Be The Judge held at Melbourne Park Conference Centre. This is a biennial event hosted by the Disability Advocacy Resource Unit (DARU), the Self Advocacy Resource Unit (SARU) and Disability Advocacy Victoria (DAV), the sector’s peak body.
Patients at Victoria’s largest hospital for the criminally insane will have a third of their pension deducted as part of a pay-to-stay policy designed to give them ”real life budgeting experience”. Documents obtained by The Age reveal the fee plan was approved by the board of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health, known as … Continued
Marlon Noble’s release after 10 years behind bars without a trial has been welcomed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda and Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes. But both Commissioners have called for the criminal justice system and the mental health system to be more flexible in the way it deals … Continued