making prisons even more obsolete !
DESCRIPTION
Making Prisons Even More Obsolete !. SISTERS INSIDE SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES COURT DIVERSION PROGRAM. “ Sisters Inside workers and the Special Circumstance Court (SCCrt) Program have turned my life around . I am now high on life ! I can now see the moon and the stars.” . - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Making Prisons Even More Obsolete!
SISTERS INSIDE
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
COURT
DIVERSION PROGRAM
“Sisters Inside workers and the Special Circumstance Court (SCCrt)
Program have turned my life around. I am now high on life! I can now see the moon and the stars.”
THE SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES COURT
Aims to work with people to address the underlying causes of their criminal behaviour.
Sentencing options include intensive support around dealing with the issues contributing to the offending.
Avoids giving fines.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
1 Full Time & 1 Part-time Staff
Committed to providing customised service to each woman
Approx. 250 participants over the past 3 years
Every Wednesday, Thursday & Friday
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
o Walk alongside the women
o Provide support and bridging resources
o To increase access and assist them to achieve whatever needs are important to them
o Ongoing support to feel & be safe and supported
o To introduce women to specific services
o To introduce and encourage participation in other SIS programs
UNIQUE FEATURES
OpportunisticUnstructured
Own pace, Own time
Highly intensive
PRACTICES UNDERPINNING PROGRAM
TRUSTRESPECT&
Respect Women as Equal__________________________
Respect Women as experts in their own life
__________________________
Respect Women’s decisions about their own needs
__________________________
Respect Women’s context and culture
__________________________
Respect Women’s space
PRACTICES UNDERPINNING PROGRAM
All decisions are driven by the
woman
Authentic
Consistent
Truthful
Admit to mistakes
Step out of comfort zone
Never breach confidentiality
Never reject a woman
PRACTICES UNDERPINNING PROGRAM
How do they become involved in
Special CircumstancesCourt?
“If it wasn’t for the Special
Circumstances Court & you (SIS
worker) I would be dead”
SUCCESSES
Achieve
RewardThe court focuses on addressing the causes of criminalisation.
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR #1
Change
Support
As one magistrate said…
“I sometimes see people who have finished their sentence standing at the back of the court and I think ‘Oh no’… But they have just come in to say hello. One lady who was re-engaging with study after 30 years was having trouble with her homework….so she came in to court looking for help and we were able to get together and sort something out.”
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR #1
The Sisters Program is the GLUE in
the relationship
between women and the Court.
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR #2
The Sisters Inside Inclusive Support Model contributes towards a woman achieving her set goals.
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR #3
I CAN’
TI CAN
I WILLI DID!
RECIDIVISM
4% of participants were imprisoned for new offences
1 for hospital treatment 3 asked to go back to prison
2 imprisoned due to pre-existing charges outside the SCCrt.
FISCAL BENEFITS
Average prison cost =$10,818 per woman
SIS SCCrt over three years = $1,875
BARRIERS TO OPTIMUM SERVICE DELIVERY
Unreasonable expectations by key service providers
Lack of essential services
BARRIERS TO OPTIMUM SERVICE DELIVERY
It is when these fundamental human rights are met, that women will feel free to move forward with their lives!
CONCLUSIONImprisonme
nt does harm to
women and children
Imprisonment compounds problems
already faced and puts
additional demands on
other essentials to
life
Paying attention HAS TO BE
more effective and
efficient
It is an investment in crime preventio
n
THANK YOU!
