Justice Action is an Australian

not-for-profit A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...

community organisation Community organization or community based organization refers to organization aimed at making desired improvements to a community's social health, well-being, and overall functioning. Community organization occurs in geographically, psychosocially ...

based in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. The organisation advocates for the rights of people involved in the

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...

and

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

systems, with a particular focus on abuses of authority. Founded in 1979 as Prisoner Action, Justice Action operates independently of the

Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...

and is funded through voluntary donations and its associated

social enterprise A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social and environmental well-being. This may include maximizing social impact alongside profits for co-owners. Social enterprises ha ...

, Breakout Media Communications. The organisation's coordinator is Brett Collins, a former prisoner who co-founded the organisation in 1979. Justice Action is supported by a team of university interns, primarily students studying law and related disciplines.

Campaigns and activities

In operation since 1979, Justice Action is one of the oldest independent

prisoners' rights The rights of civilian and military prisoners are governed by both national and international law. International conventions include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the United Nations' Minimum Rules for the Treatment ...

and

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

organisations in Australia, and has played a significant role in the development of national criminal justice policy. It was instrumental in establishing various other advocacy bodies, including the Prisoners Legal Service in 1979, following the Nagle

Royal Commission into New South Wales Prisons The Royal Commission into New South Wales Prisons, also known as the Nagle Royal Commission, was established in 1976 to inquire into the management of prisons in the State of New South Wales, Australia. The commission was headed by Supreme Court ...

, and the Australian Prisoners Union in 1999. Justice Action provides ongoing case-by-case support to prisoners and involuntary mental health patients, particularly in matters involving abuse, mistreatment, or violations of human rights. The organisation has led high-profile campaigns on issues such as

prison education Prison education is any educational activity that occurs inside prison. Courses can include basic literacy programmes, secondary school equivalency programmes, vocational education, and tertiary education. Other activities such as rehabilitatio ...

and computer access for inmates, visitation rights for women prisoners, the right of prisoners to vote, the implementation of prison-based needle and syringe programs, and the rights of involuntary mental health patients to access education and make decisions about their treatment. Justice Action is regularly invited to present at conferences in Australia and internationally on topics including

prison reform Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, improve the effectiveness of a penal system, reduce recidivism or implement alternatives to incarceration. It also focuses on ensuring the reinstatement of those whose lives are ...

, prisoners' rights, and

mental health policy Mental may refer to: * of or relating to the mind Films * ''Mental'' (2012 film), an Australian comedy-drama film starring Toni Collette * ''Mental'' (2016 film), a Bangladeshi romantic-action film starring Shakib Khan * ''Mental'', a 2008 docu ...

. As a community organisation focused on

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

within the justice and mental health sectors, Justice Action collaborates with national and international partners to share information, conduct research, and coordinate advocacy campaigns. In Australia, it works in conjunction with other community groups and peak bodies such as the New South Wales Council of Social Services, the

New South Wales Teachers Federation The New South Wales Teachers Federation (also known simply as the Federation) is the registered trade union that covers New South Wales (NSW) public school teachers. The New South Wales Teachers Federation represents all teachers in NSW public ...

, and is a member of the Community Justice Coalition, an Australian coalition dedicated to justice and prison reform. Internationally, Justice Action is a member of the International Conference on Penal Abolition (ICOPA), a biennial global forum for activists and scholars. In 2006, the organisation hosted ICOPA XI in Tasmania.

Publications

Justice Action publishes research and policy papers on issues related to criminal justice reform and mental health policy. Until 2004, the organisation published a quarterly newspaper titled ''Framed''. Spanning 44 issues, ''Framed'' was Australia’s only inmate-run newspaper, featuring edited contributions from incarcerated individuals across the country. The publication was distributed to prisons nationwide. In 2002, ''Framed'' was banned from distribution in New South Wales prisons by Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW), which claimed that the content could incite “disharmony and conflict” within correctional facilities. Justice Action challenged the ban by filing a complaint with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC). The Commission concluded that the ban was not supported by adequate evidence and likely constituted a violation of the human rights of federal prisoners. Although HREOC recommended that the ban be overturned, CSNSW declined to act on the recommendation, stating it had “no intention of taking any action.” In 2012, Justice Action released several research papers on topics including

restorative justice Restorative justice is a community-based approach to justice that aims to repair the harm done to victims, offenders and communities. In doing so, restorative justice practitioners work to ensure that offenders take responsibility for their ac ...

cognitive behavioural therapy Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression, PTSD, and anxiety disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on challenging and chang ...

, remission, and the use of computers in prison cells. These papers were launched at the 14th International Conference on Penal Abolition (ICOPA 14), held in Trinidad and Tobago.

References

External links

* {{Official, https://justiceaction.org.au
Justice Action YouTube channel

The International Conference on Penal Abolition (ICOPA)

Breakout Media Communications
Non-profit organisations based in New South Wales Organisations based in Sydney Political advocacy groups in Australia Prison-related organizations Prison abolition movement

Campaigns and activities

Publications

See also

References

External links