Community Court Worker
Goal
The goal of the ACCP is to assist Aboriginal accused to better understand their rights, options and responsibilities when appearing before the criminal courts. The main objectives of the programme are: to facilitate and enhance access to justice; to ensure Aboriginal people involved in the criminal justice system, understand their rights, responsibilities and options; and to ensure that the individual receives fair and legal representation. The Criminal Court Worker Programme provides accurate information about:- The nature and consequences of the charge(s) they are facing;
- Their rights, responsibilities and options under the law including alternative justice processes (if available);
- The philosophy and functioning of the Criminal Justice system, and of alternative justice processes (if available);
- Court procedures;
- The disposition or direction given by the court or community to the offender;
- Providing the Aboriginal accused with appropriate referral to legal resources (as available and where practical);
- Referring Aboriginal accused to appropriate social, education, employment, medical and other resources to enable them to address the underlying problems, which contribute to their charges and, where appropriate, follow-up on these referrals;
- Liaising between Aboriginal accused and Criminal Justice personnel to help overcome communication barriers and reduce Aboriginal alienation from the Criminal Justice system. This may include being available to provide appropriate information to the court and/or speaking on behalf of the accused;
- Informing justice officials about the cultural traditions, values, languages, socio-economic conditions, and other concerns of the Aboriginal community and the perspective of Aboriginal alleged accused and initiate further understanding when required;
- Promoting an understanding within the Aboriginal community of the existing Criminal Justice system and alternative or community justice processes; and,
- Promoting and facilitating practical, community-based justice initiatives and helping to build community capacity to identify and address justice related problems, which impact urban Aboriginal community members.