The Victorian Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers, Luke Donnellan, has launched the Supporting Justice online platform to support people with intellectual disabilities in the criminal justice system.
This critical new resource has been designed with input from people with disability and lived experience of the criminal justice system to help transform the way people with disability are treated in the court system.
CIJ Associate Director, Research, Innovation and Reform Stan Winford said while people with a disability are over-represented in our criminal justice system, they are rarely recognised or responded to appropriately and on the whole are under-supported.
“The primary focus of the Supporting Justice website is to help lawyers and court professionals learn how to recognise the signs of disability in the first instance, gain an understanding of the criminal justice system experience of people with a disability, and offer appropriate needs-based support that will ultimately lead to fairer outcomes,” Winford said.
The website provides practical resources for lawyers, judicial officers and court professionals to better respond to people with intellectual disabilities.
It also connects support workers, people with disability and their carers with resources to help with seeking legal advice, preparing for court and getting support while at court.
People with intellectual disabilities are severely over-represented in the criminal justice system. One study by Corrections Victoria, for example, found 42% of male prisoners and 33% of female prisoners have an acquired brain injury. This compares to less than 3% of the general population.
