Australia’s incarceration rate is higher than at any time since the year 1900. Of those entering Australian prisons 78% are unsentenced, with 73% being previously imprisoned and people with a disability form 29% of all prisoners in Australia. The Australian Community Support Organisation (ACSO) is a not for profit and provides an intensive program for people with a Disability who present with extreme complex behaviours. This group are at risk of or have history of serious violent and/or sexualised offending which is impacted by substance use, co-morbid mental health conditions and chronic homelessness.

 

ACSO's vision is for a community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and prison truly is the last resort. ACSO's Specialist Forensic Disability Accommodation (SFDA) program is an intensive medium term residential support program that successfully increases community engagement and access, reduces the use of restrictive practices and offending behaviours. The service model includes a focus on building skills and positive behaviour support to reduce high risk and offending behaviours.

 

Our presentation will showcase ACSO’s practice in delivering the Specialist Forensic Disability Accommodation (SFDA) program and highlight recent evaluation outcomes and analysis of social impact.