NADA - Capacity Building - Criminal Justice

Projects

Criminal Justice - No Bars

No Bars: The Drug Crime Diversion Capacity Building Project

The No Bars Training Project is aimed at increasing staff and organisational confidence and capacity to address the needs of clients who are in contact with the criminal justice system. The Community Restorative Centre (CRC), a specialist independent community organisation that aims to change lives positively by supporting people affected by the criminal justice system, has partnered with NADA to develop a comprehensive training and change management resource package for NADA members which is available FREE to NADA members.

NO BARS has been piloted with residential rehabilitation service NADA members and all content reviewed by a specialist Aboriginal drug and alcohol service. This has resulted in a comprehensive and flexible package that can be tailored and delivered to your specific service requirements.

The training includes:
»  An understanding of the criminal justice system in NSW
»  An understanding of the issues facing people incarcerated in NSW
»  An understanding of the challenges you face in working with this group and how to overcome these challenges
»  Offers a facilitator led process to assist development of change management strategies for best practice service.

This FREE training package can be delivered at your service for your staff or a nearby venue throughout NSW and the ACT. You can also link up with other NADA members in your local area to receive this training.

No Bars Coordinator & Trainer

Mandy Marsters, the Social Inclusion Training Coordinator with CRC, is coordinating and facilitating this training. Mandy is a Cook Island Maori Woman from Aotearoa, New Zealand, a mother and a grandmother. She holds qualifications in Social Work, Alcohol and Other Drugs Counselling, Certificate IV in AOD work and a Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment. With 21 years experience working within the welfare sector, Mandy’s roles have included alcohol and drug counselling and education, family casework, residential social work and for the past 11 years she has worked with adult criminal justice clients.

Find out more or register your organisation to take part in the Free NO BARS training

Contact Mandy at CRC on 9288 8700 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or Heidi at NADA on (02) 9898 8669 ext. 8 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

‘A Snapshot - Alcohol and Other Drugs &

The NSW Criminal Justice System’

» Close to 10,000 individuals are incarcerated in NSW Correctional Centres and over 20,000 are under Community Offender Services supervision each day.

» Approximately 80% of the prison population are there due to AOD related issues.

» Between 60 – 80% of this group were intoxicated at the time of committing their offence. Lifetime use of illicit drugs is reported in 84% women and 80% of men. 50% of men and 33% of women regularly consumed alcohol at dangerous levels.

» Women disclose higher rates of AOD related crime which is consistent with the view that women are imprisoned mainly for AOD / health related offences.(Inmate Health Survey 2001)

While AOD misuse occurs across all sectors of society, when we look at drug-crime relationships and at those that come into contact with the criminal justice system, it is not evenly distributed. Prisons are increasingly used to house our most disadvantaged members of the community.