About Inside Access

The project aims to:

• To increase access to legal advice and representation via outreach legal clinics.
• To deliver specialist legal education sessions within prisons and forensic hospitals.
• To continue to gather evidence based information on systemic concerns and capacity to build the program.

Project Summary

Inside Access provides free civil legal services and other support services to people in some of the forensic facilities in Victoria. Inside Access seeks to contribute to an improved justice system for people with a mental illness by delivering legal assistance whilst our clients are incarcerated.  Our service aims to ease our clients’ transition into the community upon release.

Inside Access also provides a community legal education program at those forensic facilities. The education program aims to provide education to prisoners with a mental illness to help them better understand and exercise their rights. Inside Access constantly strives to provide relevant information to prisoners regarding:

Correctional Centres we attend

Inside Access attends:

• Dame Phyllis Frost Centre once a week for legal advice and information sessions;
• Tarrengower Prison once every three months for legal advice and information sessions;
• Ravenhall Correctional Centre once a week for legal advice and information sessions; and
• Western Plains Correctional Centre once a week for legal advice, financial counselling advice, and legal information sessions.