Assessing the Disability needs of Indigenous Prisoners

The ADNIP Project (Assessing the Disability Needs of Indigenous Prisoners) arose from the Council of Australian Government (COAG) Prison to Work Report (COAG, 2016) which concluded that better identification of prisoners’ needs at intake would help support the development of pathways to employment upon release. The ADNIP project was funded under The Australian Government Plan to Improve Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with Disability (Commonwealth of Australia, 2011), which sits under the National Disability Strategy’s Second Implementation Plan 2015-2018 (Commonwealth of Australia, 2016).

The project examined how disability is identified and assessed in adult (over 18 years) First Peoples prisoners and ex-prisoners. The focus was on those who have disabling conditions that often remain unidentified such as hearing loss, cognitive impairments (Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) or Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and related disabilities. The project also examined processes used to link First Peoples prisoners with disability to rehabilitation and other supports in prison and post release.

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