justicematters

In this episode we revisit the Poetry Club at Dillwynia Women's prison near Sydney. On this occasion the invited poet was Mark Mahemoff, whose new collection "Trojan Gifts" will be published shortly. Preparations for the session ( preliminary reading, research, writing a letter of invitation to the poet etc.) were incorporated as assessment tasks into accredited TAFE courses in work readiness and literacy. 

This episode features poet Fiona Wright as an invited guest of the Dillwynia Poetry Club, a group set up by women prisoners to read, write and review poetry. The recording of the session was part of an experimental program to develop audiovisual resouces for an in house TV channel at the prison.

This episode features music created and recorded at the Compulsory Drug Treatment Correctional Centre at Parklea. The therapeutic system overseen by the Drug Court is explained.The music was created  within a framework of TAFE accredited music and digital media courses, and demonstrates the ways in which creative education can play a role in rehabilitation.

In this episode we meet Joel Rapaport, hip hop artist and manager of recording stable Big Village. We discuss his experience teaching music production courses in the prison system, and hear some of the recordings made by prisoners in his practical song writing and recording sessions.

With NAIDOC week approaching we are revisiting Red Room Poetry's  Unlocked poetry and music workshops at Balund-a. This time we feature recordings from the NAIDOC week workshops and community celebration  in 2017. Balund-a is a diversionary program for young indigenous offenders situated on a beautiful working cattle property near Tabulam in northern NSW. Apart from regular indigenous mentors and facilitators Lionel Fogarty, Joe Geia and Lewis Walker we also hear from a member of staff at Balund-a. She outlines the purpose and philosophy behind the programs offered at Balund-a.

This episode emphasises the role of Elders in mentoring young indigenous offenders on the diversionary program at Balund-a. Uncle Lewis Walker has been a regular collaborator in the annual Red Room Unlocked poetry and music workshops. In this episode we join the participants reading their work in English, with Lewis providing line by line translation into Bundjalung.

Balund-a is a residential diversionary program for young indigenous offenders, located on a working rural property on the Clarence River, near Tabulam, in northern NSW. In addition to drug and alcohol recovery programs, Balund-a offers participants vocational training, numeracy and literacy courses, and a cultural reconnection program overseen by on site indigenous Elders.For several years now the Red Room Company has brought their Unlocked prison poetry program to Balund-a during NAIDOC week. In 2018 poet Lionel Fogarty and musician, Joe Geia, returned to facilitate the workshops. This episode of justicematters features the NAIDOC concert that formed the high point and culmination of the workshops. 

In this initial episode indigenous ex prisoner Keenan Mundine talks about his experiences in juvenile detention and adult prisons in NSW. We also discuss his work as an advocate for young people caught up in the justice system, and his involvement with campaigning for prison reform.