Film Screening: Incarceration Nation
Image of protest in the background with the text 'Film Screening Incarceration Nation Prisoners On Our Own land' in the foreground
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land in which the University resides and pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging. We extend this acknowledgement to the Worimi and Awabakal people of the land in which the Newcastle City campus resides.
The Centre for Law and Social Justice is hosting a film screening of Incarceration Nation.
Incarceration Nation is a powerful and groundbreaking documentary which tells the story of Indigenous incarceration in Australia from invasion to today. Told by First Nations voices, this film goes beyond the headlines and statistics to the real people and families who are harmed by our justice system.
After the screening, we will be hosting a panel discussion and Q&A to discuss the issues raised in the documentary and how we can all take action to create meaningful change.
Panellists:
Taylah Gray - Taylah Gray is a proud Wiradjuri woman and lawyer. She is currently completing her PhD on Native Title Law at the University of Newcastle. In July 2020, she successfully defeated a motion by the NSW police in the Supreme Court to block the Newcastle Black Lives Matter protest.
Charlotte Pascall - In late 2016, Charlotte started as a volunteer with the ALS Newcastle office whilst completing her studies at UoN. At the beginning of 2019 she started as a junior solicitor with the Western Zone ALS in Tamworth, before moving to the Bathurst office in 2020. She appeared in the Children’s, Local and District courts in a range of rural and remote locations across Western NSW. In October 2021, she returned home to Newcastle and joined the Local Court team at Legal Aid. As of September she will be the managing solicitor of the District Court appeals practice.
Host:
Damien Linnane - Following an arrest in 2015, Damien Linnane was found ineligible for a community sentence on the grounds there was no funding to support his disability during such a sentence, leaving the magistrate with no choice but to send him to prison. After being told there was no therapy or education available in prison, he turned to art and writing as a way of rehabilitating himself. His first book, Scarred (Tenth Street Press, 2019), was written by hand while he was in custody, and his artistic credits include illustrating the book This Is Ear Hustle (Crown Publishing, 2021). He currently has a United Nations scholarship to complete a PhD in law, that focuses on improving the rights of people with disabilities when impacted by the criminal justice system, and works as the editor of Paper Chained, an art and writing magazine for prisoners worldwide.
CONTENT WARNING
This film contains confronting and distressing footage of violence, death and police brutality. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the film contains images and voices of people who have passed, and images that may be traumatising.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.