Japanese Bar Association visit

We were very excited recently to welcome visitors from Japan. The Japanese Bar Association visited us to learn about self-advocacy for people with disability and criminal justice system experience.

The research team was interested in the question of agency and voice for people with lived experience as there is currently a broad movement for prison reform in Japan, including model programs for people with cognitive disabilities and addiction. However, awareness of the strong occurence of people having Acquired Brain Injury in the criminal justice system is lacking in Japan, in contrast to Australia where there is increasing recognition.

Voices for Change member, Michael Mayne, spoke with interpreter, Masahiko Mizuto, about his lived experience and his journey to becoming a disability-justice self-advocate with Voices for Change. We also welcomed Managing Lawyer in Criminal Law and Drug Outreach at Fitzroy Legal Service, Adam Willson, to the conversation, as well as Stan Winford, Fitzroy Legal Service alum and now-Associate Director of the Centre for Innovative Justice at RMIT. Stan and his team are leaders in progressive research and thought about cognitive disability in the criminal justice system.

Thanks to Masahiko and his team for visiting Voices for Change. We would like to go to Japan one day and visit you in return.