Terms of Reference
The aim of the NLAF Prisoners Forum is to provide a platform for organisations in the justice sector to work together in a cooperative and collaborative manner to improve access to justice and address the legal needs of prisoners in NSW.
Objectives:
The objectives of the NLAF Prisoners Forum include addressing the legal needs of prisoners in NSW in the areas of:
- Access to legal education and information in NSW correctional centres
- Lawyer client communications
- Civil and Family Law needs of prisoners; and
- The process of reintegration on release from prison
with particular emphasis on the needs of vulnerable population groups such as, but not limited to:
- aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inmates;
- inmates with a disability;
- inmates transitioning out of prison;
- the remand population;
- incarcerated women;
- young people in detention in NSW
and other groups as identified from time to time.
Members of the Prisoners Forum:
The Prisoners Forum includes representatives from the following organisations:
- Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT Ltd
- Children's Legal Service
- Community Legal Centres NSW
- Community Restorative Centres NSW
- Corrective Services NSW
- Inspector of Custodial Services
- Justice Health & Forensic Mental Health Network
- Just Reinvest
- LawAccess
- Law and Justice Foundation of NSW
- Legal Aid NSW
- NSW Ombudsman
- Revenue NSW
- Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC)
- Shopfront Youth Legal Centre
- State Library, Legal Information Access Centre (LIAC)
- Weave Youth & Community Services
- Women’s Legal Service NSW
- Youth Justice NSW
Meeting frequency:
The Prisoners Forum will meet four times in a calendar year, once every 3 months.
Chair:
Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT Ltd
Term of operation:
12 months (option to review and refine terms of reference)
Prisoners Legal Information Team (PLIT) - Terms of Reference
The PLIT is a subgroup of the Prisoners Forum
Background
The Legal Information Portal is a legal information site for prisoners on the Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) inmate intranet. The Portal provides practical, plain language information to prisoners about relevant criminal, family and civil law issues and processes. It also informs inmates about how to contact a lawyer or get legal advice while in prison.
Aim:
The aim of the PLIT is to operate as an interagency committee that oversees, provides material for, reviews and updates the content of the Legal Information Portal.
Objectives:
The objective of the PLIT is to oversee the operation of the Prisoners Legal Information Portal (Portal) by:
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- reviewing material on the Portal and determining whether to remove any of it;
- considering new material to be included on the Portal;
- updating the content of the Portal.
Membership:
The PLIT is comprised of representatives from the following organisations:
- Corrective Services NSW
- Law Access
- Legal Aid NSW
- Law and Justice Foundation of NSW
- State Library, Legal Information Access Centre (LIAC)
- Women’s Legal Service NSW.
The NLAF Project Manager is also a member of the PLIT.
PLIT may from time to time include representatives from other relevant organisations.
Meeting frequency:
The PLIT will meet every three months. The PLIT will report to the Prisoners Forum at its quarterly meetings.
Chair:
The Chair of the PLIT is a nominee of Corrective Services NSW.
Term of operation:
Ongoing, with annual review.
