Banner image: Alexander Maconochie Centre laundry room, copyright ACT Government.
Prison Clinic is a course where you will engage with the criminal justice system in technicolour, and discover tangible realities of the law. In this course, the law is no longer just books and paper, but bricks and mortar - and, most importantly, people. This course is challenging in both form and substance: your learning activities will be different to anything you've done at law school so far, and you will be engaging with layered, complex, and meaningful content.
In the first half of semester, you will visit numerous criminal justice institutions and carceral settings in Canberra, including the Alexander Machonochie Centre and the ACT Watch House. You will have the chance to speak to people with lived experience of incarceration, tour the ACT Supreme Court and view legal proceedings in action. Across different workshops, you will be able to engage personally with judicial officers, barristers, court sheriffs, police and correctional officers, Prisoners Aid staff - and to ask them your own questions. You can have the chance to submit an article to About Time, the national prison paper founded by a graduate of this Clinic, and to assist in putting together furniture packs for detainees who are rejoining the community with housing assistance.
Underlying these coalface activities, we will engage with philosophy and theory on criminal justice, punishment, state accountability and correctional management. We will critically examine the real-world impact of how prison/ers, criminality and punishment are represented in media, films, fictional literature, and more. You'll design a digital learning resource about a relevant area of law, for detainees and their families, or policy makers and the community, using teaching and learning theory. You will also plan and execute a research project of your choosing (both in form and substance) addressing a problem or an injustice relating to the prison setting.
Eligibility
Location: On campus and at various institutions around Canberra
Mode of Delivery: In-person
Course Convener: Katrina Marson
Offered in: Semester 1 and Semester 2
Requirements:
- Meet the course prerequisites
- AMC Security Awareness Training
Course credit: LAWS4304/LAWS6304 (6 units)
Students can apply for a maximum of two clinical courses, noting that, if successful, approval will only be provided for one clinical course.
Apply hereFAQs by Katrina Marson
Why are you passionate about this Clinic and area of Law?
This Clinic gives students a chance to see the real-world impact of the law, and to learn from those whom the law impacts in the most material way. It is a good reminder of the significant power wielded by the legal institution, and the humility required of those who serve it.
What "real-world" experience can students expect from this opportunity and what skills will they learn from that experience?
Students can expect to meet and engage personally with those at the coalface of the criminal justice system, where the power of the state is most pronounced. Students will not only be learning, but unlearning: expect to have your assumptions challenged, and a realisation that there is nothing simple about 'justice'.
What does a typical clinic day look like?
There is no typical day! If you like variety, this course is for you. In the first half of the semester, each week will involve a field trip to, and/or guest lecture from, a different criminal justice institution or carceral setting. In the second half of the semester, there will be no more field trips, but you can expect more guest appearances and time to work on your major research project under the guidance of the convenor.
What students would be a good fit for this Clinic?
Students who want to be challenged, step outside their comfort zone, and demonstrate compassion.
Student testimonials
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