Criminal justice
Justice Support Program
Overview
The Justice Support Program (JSP) provides non-legal advocacy for people with cognitive impairments who are involved in the criminal justice system.
JSP’s first priority is to help you access the legal services you need. Our broader aim is to advocate for the information and supports you need to stay out of the criminal justice system.
What we do
Justice Support Program advocates can:
- Arrange a referral to an appropriate legal service for advice or representation
- Support you to communicate your disability needs to police, lawyers and others in the criminal justice system
- Try to resolve the issue, particularly if you haven’t been charged
- Advocate with service systems to get you appropriate and responsive supports (e.g. personal assistance, counselling, restorative justice, etc.)
- Help you understand your court directions (e.g. bail, curfew, appearance dates, appointments, etc.)
- Advocate for changes you need to stay out of the criminal justice system
Who we assist
We assist people who meet all the below criteria:
- You have a cognitive impairment (e.g. intellectual disability, acquired brain injury, foetal alcohol spectrum disorder)
- You are involved in the criminal justice system as a suspect, defendant, victim or witness.
- Your disability is a significant factor to your involvement in the criminal justice system
- There is no other more appropriate service available to advocate for you
How to get help
Contact QAI on 07 3844 4200 or 1300 130 582 or use the contact form below.
JSP has limited resources and may not be able to assist everyone who contacts us. If JSP is unable to assist you, we will always attempt to refer you to another service.
You do not need to provide evidence of cognitive impairment to get help from JSP. You will be required to provide some personal details JSP needs to deliver services. As with all QAI services, all personal information is treated as strictly confidential.
“I was extremely happy about the Justice Support Program which was a very big help to me. I don’t know where I would have been without Liz, she was a great help in every way possible. Thank you very much.”
Gary, JSP Client
“Very grateful for the help,
it was also very empowering.“
JSP client
Get in touch with us
If you have any questions or would like to find out more, contact us on (07) 3844 4200 or qai@qai.org.au or use the form below to send us a message.