Prison Legal Education Assistance Project (PLEA)
NOW RECRUITING
Aim
The aim of the PLEA Project is to provide education to inmates in order to foster a proactive approach to their handling their legal cases, thus empowering inmates with skills and knowledge in order to enable them to gain control in an environment where they may feel powerless. The PLEA Project achieves this by focusing on self-help through education. In that it is only through education that cultural, structural and psychological obstacles to participation in decision-making can be removed.
Organisation
The PLEA Project is based at Monash-Oakleigh Legal Service and is staffed entirely by student volunteers, is run by a three person student executive which reports to a four person steering committee; comprising members of MOLS, the Faculty of Law, and Springvale Monash Legal Service, as well as the President of PLEA. The PLEA Project currently operates in both the Metropolitan Remand Centre (MRC) and Dame Phyllis Frost Centre (DPFC) in Deer Park, Melbourne.
Project
The PLEA Project is funded by a small grant awarded by the Victoria Law Foundation. PLEA is divided into three sections:
- Court Readiness: This section is sub-divided in a Publications and Presentations team
- Publications: This team is responsible for compiling topic specific fact sheets/checklists. In addition team members collate free relevant resources to take into the prisons. Furthermore, volunteers work on creating a Prisoners legal Handbook.
- Presentations: This team is responsible for compiling Court Readiness PowerPoint presentations, and conducting presentations at MRC and DPFC. Presentations include topics such as communicating with your lawyer, bail, appearance in court, and sentencing.
- Library Skills: This section works in cooperation with the Monash University Law Library, to create a legal research skills seminar for inmates at MRC and DPFC related to the resources in each prison, as well as collecting free legal resources/publications. This team then presents monthly skills seminars at DPFC and MRC.
- Parole Readiness: This section works closely with Sharon Jacobson from Off the Map, to develop a Parole Readiness Program. The majority of the work will be exploratory and research based, including gathering parole resources, liaising with the prisons and courts as to current programs, and creating a plan for both Parole Readiness presentations and Publications/Handbook.
Commitment
All PLEA volunteers are expected to commit to a minimum of four hours per week for six months. This time will be spent on preparing/researching presentation material, compiling publications or presenting seminars at DPFC. Volunteers need to be flexible with their schedule as dates for prisons visits invariably change, and are dependant on a number of factors outside our control. A larger commitment is required closer to prison visits, in order to undertake preparation prior to presenting at the MRC/DPFC. All volunteers must commit to the minimum number of hours, as well as monthly prison visits and fortnightly meetings.
Volunteering
We have commenced recruiting our next intake of volunteers. Please download an Information Leaflet and Application form, complete and submit via email to pleavol@gmail.com or mail to PLEA Project, Monash-Oakleigh Legal Service, 60 Beddoe Avenue, Clayton VIC 3168.
Enquiries
All volunteering enquiries should be directed to the Volunteer Coordinator at pleavol@gmail.com
All non-volunteering enquiries should be directed to Guillaume Bailin, President, PLEA Project at pleaproject@gmail.com.
Funded by a small grant from the
