PLEA Project - Not Recruiting

Aim

The aim of the PLEA project is to provide court readiness education to people held on remand at the Metropolitan Remand Centre (MRC) and to women on remand as the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, Deer Park. This service is provided in order to foster a proactive approach to the handling of inmate’s legal cases, thereby empowering them with the skills and knowledge which will enable them to gain control in an environment where they may feel powerless. The PLEA project will achieve this by focusing on self-help through education. In that it is only through education that cultural, structural and psychological obstacles to participation in decision-making can be removed. PLEA is not governed by a reforming nor advocacy agenda. It aims to work cooperatively with MRC/DPFC staff and other criminal justice system stakeholders to transform inmates who are passive to active participants in the legal system.

Commitment

All PLEA volunteers will be expected to commit to a minimum of four hours per week for six months. While we will make every effort to minimise inconvenience to volunteers, you are expected to be flexible with dates and times for monthly prison visits (which go for half a day). Only apply if you can realistically fit this commitment into your schedule. In addition, volunteers will be expected to meet weekly with their section leader. Repeated cancellations by volunteers due to work commitments is not acceptable. Furthermore, there is no onsite volunteering nor specific day of volunteering, as all work is conducted by volunteers offsite, in their own time; so long as four hours per week is committed to PLEA tasks.

Project

PLEA is divided into three parts:

1. Court Readiness
2. Parole Readiness
3. Library Skills

Under section 1, volunteers after adequate practice and training attend the MRC/DPFC once a month and conduct an in-depth Court Readiness seminar; as well as work in complimentary checklists/publications. The seminar last for approximately one hour and will focus on one topic, which may include bail hearings, pre-trial, committals, trials and pre-sentence/mitigation. This section will initially comprise mainly research tasks, to be followed by monthly oral presentations.

Under section 2, volunteers will undertake exploratory research on Parole Readiness, conduct consultations at DPFC with inmates and CJS stakeholders with a view to evaluate the need, and formulate the structure of any future Parole Readiness Program. Volunteers will have the opportunity to create/tailor a program for use with sentenced inmates. This section will be research based coupled with consultations with the emphasis being on program development.

Under section 3, volunteers will liaise closely with DPFC staff and Monash University Law Library with a view to assist in the creation of a library resource centre at DPFC. Students will obtain and collate publications/books, attend DPFC regulary to meet with inmates/staff as to library needs, as well as create a library skills seminar series wirth accompany publications. This section will be comprised mainly of consultations, resource gathering and program development.

Applications

To obtain more information and an application for please email the Volunteer Coordinator at pleavol@gmail.com