Speakers
Parallel Workshops
My study documents the lived experiences of women on remand and the service providers who support them in Victoria, Australia. In particular, how pains of uncertainty permeate their stories. My project centers criminalised women’s perspectives of remand incarceration, as well as exploring the challenges service providers face supporting them. Interviews with women affected by the criminal justice system demonstrated that those with lived experience of prison have valuable insights into potential policy and reform, informed by their pathways to custody and experiences of imprisonment. Their perspectives are augmented by those of the service providers, who contribute essential ideas about how the challenges they face in their work can be overcome. Interviews revealed the ways that court and prison systems created a pervasive sense of uncertainty – resulting in significant impacts on the well-being of women and their families and negative repercussions for service providers. Ultimately, my project demonstrates the importance of learning about the remand system from those in closest contact with it.