Nominations are now open for the 2008 Disability Action Week Awards. The awards recognise the achievements of individuals, groups and organisations that have contributed to improving the quality of life of people with a disability.

Disability touches the lives of most Queenslanders in some way — through the experiences we have with friends and family, at school, in the workplace and in the community.

This year get involved in the Disability Action Week Awards by nominating someone for an award. Nominations close 8 August 2008.

UnitingCare Centre for Social Justice along with Mission Australia are Co-Chairing Anti-Poverty Week 2008. Anti-Poverty Week was established in Australia as an expansion of the UN's annual International Anti-Poverty Day on October 17. The main aims of Anti-Poverty Week are to:

strengthen public understanding of the causes and consequences of poverty and hardship around the world and in Australia;

encourage research, discussion and action to address these problems, including action by individuals, communities, organisations and governments.

Everyone who is interested in helping to reduce poverty and hardship here or overseas is encouraged to organise their own activities during the Week or join in some being organised by other people. The activities can be large or small, and events at the local level are especially welcome. For more information please visit www.antipovertyweek.org.au 

Understanding mental health issues in the cycle of crime

The Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre 
Monday 3rd November 2008

Keynote Speakers

Professor Ross Homel: Brisbane
Criminologist, Griffith University

Noritta Morseu-Diop: an Indigenous social worker 

Andrew Fraser: Melbourne
author : “Court in the Middle”
four years inprison after being a criminal lawyer

David Denborough: The Dulwich Centre, Adelaide
author of “Beyond the Prison: Gathering Dreams of Freedom”
Prevent Prisoner Rape Project

Debbie Kilroy: Sisters Inside, Brisbane
Order of Australia, Australian Human Rights Medal
lived prison experience, admitted as an Officer of the Court

…….other speakers and exhibitors…….

Contact This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . For more information click here.

The Centre for Social Justice is initiating a public engagement campaign that was launched during Anti-Poverty Week 2007 and will continue throughout 2008.Tilly Igras (Facilitator) and Laura Moran (CSJ Associate) will join with an array of guest speakers from the Legal and Criminal Justice field, and people with lived experiences to engage with community to discuss the Queensland Criminal Justice System.

We are firstly looking to explore community attitudes to crime and secondly the effectiveness or otherwise of prison as a crime prevention strategy. People who have experienced prison and incarceration will look at what has been effective and what has worked against the goal of rehabilitation. The public engagement campaign will cover comparisons with international crime prevention strategies and include examples over the past 20 years in Australia. 

If you would like the Public Engagement team to come and talk to your community or service group, please contact Tilly on 07 3025 2013 or email This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it  (This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it).

To find out more, please see our fact and information sheets.

Clamour for Spence sacking gets louder

The 2007 report, No Vagrancy: An examination of the impact of the criminal justice system on people living in poverty, is an investigation among groups including lawyers, judges, community workers and people experiencing poverty revealing that vulnerable groups including the homeless are unnecessarily searched and harassed and more likely than others to be arrested and imprisoned.

These findings are reinforced by the experiences of Mr Bruce Rowe, a 67 year old man physically attacked by the Police in 2006, and reported in the Courier Mail on 2 July 2008. The Centre for Social Justice, along with other community based organisations are calling for Judy Spence to respond to the No Vagrancy report. Please see the article in the Courier Mail on 5-6 July 2008, Clamour for Spence sacking gets louder. See the media release for more information.  

CAIR is a coalition of community-based youth, legal, educational and social justice organisations working together to abolish the inappropriate level of remand-in-custody of young people in Queensland. UnitingCare Centre for Social Justice, along with other community organisations including Youth Affairs Network Queensland, Catholic Education, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Legal Service and Youth Advocacy Centre worked together on the release of the Discussion Paper Rethinking Youth Remand and Enhancing Community Safety in March 2008.
 
74% of the young people in custody in Queensland Youth Detention Centres on 30 June 2006 were on remand; a dramatic upward trend over recent years.

Detaining unconvicted children or young people not charged with a serious violent offence, is unjust and in contravention of Queensland's human rights obligations. Most children on remand in Youth Detention Centres in Queensland are charged with minor, non-violent offences. Inappropriately detaining young people in custody increases their likelihood of future incarceration, and therefore diminishes the chance that they will become a productive citizen. There is clear evidence that diversionary options have deterrent and rehabilitative effects on most young people who come into contact with the criminal justice system. Yet, it would appear that young people are increasingly being incarcerated for less and less serious offences.

Ongoing discussions between CAIR and the Minister for Communities and Youth, Lindy Nelson-Carr MP, have commenced.

For a full copy of Rethinking Youth Remand and Enhancing Community Safety compiled by Suzi Quixley click here.