Why are you passionate about this Clinic and area of Law?

This clinic helps us to understand two things: first, people in prison are just like us, except life has dealt them a different hand of cards; and second, that prison does not work as punishment to change people for the better. These are two of the most important lessons law students can learn.

What “real-world” experience can students expect from this opportunity and what skills will they learn from that experience?

Students will be in a prison environment doing legal education with people who often understand the reality of the law better than they do. The challenge is building a connection and showing that you have something important to contribute.

What does a typical clinic day look like?

We enter the prison at 9am and deliver a 45 minute – 1 hour lesson from 10-11. Afterwards we go to campus or a café to debrief from 12-1 and reflect on the challenges and the successes and how we can prepare for the next clinic day.

What students would be a good fit for this Clinic?

Someone who is compassionate, able to temper their judgement of others, and wanting to learn and contribute collectively.

The Prison Literacy Clinic was a significant point in my legal education as it was the first time I truly engaged with the practical realities of the law. It was challenging to break down complex legal issues into an accessible form, but this experience was incredibly valuable. Most significantly the clinic forces you to examine the contradictions that exist in the legal system which are often glossed over at university. This process is both confronting and illuminating. Moreover, I think the clinic offers an unapparelled opportunity to work as a close team with your peers and a member of the academic team. - Matthew Snibson

The Legal Literacy clinic was life changing in the way it allowed me to apply the law in context and work with my own community to advocate for broader accessibility to the law. Doing the clinic supported me to work in areas of law that I was passionate about, including those centred around community. - Margherita Dall'Occo-Vaccaro

Finding your calling: Natasha Moir’s ANU experience.