Sisters Inside Explained

Sisters Inside
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Founder:Debbie Kilroy
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Type:Nonprofit
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Status:Charity
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Sisters Inside is an Australian registered charity which supports and advocates for criminalised women and girls and their children. It is based in Queensland, with offices in Brisbane and Townsville.[1] [2]

The human rights activist and lawyer Debbie Kilroy is the founder and CEO of the organisation.[3] [4]

Sisters Inside describes itself as a grassroots organisation run by criminalised women for the benefit of "all of us inside".[4] In its advocacy work, it calls for decarceration and prison abolition. The daily work of the organisation focuses on providing support to incarcerated and criminalised women, with a focus on supporting First Nations women.[4]

History

Sisters Inside's founder Debbie Kilroy has a long history of experience with the criminal justice system and incarceration, starting at the age of 13. She began her advocacy work in the early 1990s while incarcerated as part of a prisoners' committee. Upon her release on parole in 1992 she formed Sisters Inside with other women.[4] [5]

In 2019, Sisters Inside started a campaign called #FreeHer raising funds to pay fines of Aboriginal women in Western Australia who were imprisoned or at risk of imprisonment for non-payment of fines. The campaign received support from celebrities including Yael Stone and Russell Crowe. By June 2019, it had raised $400,000.[6] [7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission. Sisters Inside Inc. 1 April 2024.
  2. Web site: Sisters Inside. Queensland Sexual Assault Network. 1 April 2024.
  3. News: How Debbie Kilroy achieves change for women and girls in the criminal legal system. Women's Agenda. Denise. Shrivell. 9 March 2020. 1 April 2024.
  4. News: Junkee. How Sisters Inside Is Shaking Up The Prison System In Australia. 4 June 2022. Claire. Keenan. 1 April 2024.
  5. Web site: Sydney Criminal Lawyers. Imagining Prison Abolition Is Not Difficult, Says Sisters Inside’s Debbie Kilroy. 21 December 2021. Paul . Gregoire. 1 April 2024.
  6. News: Inside Story. From little things. 9 August 2019. Kristina. Olsson. 1 April 2024.
  7. News: ABC News. Anti-jail campaigner Debbie Kilroy's push to stop women being imprisoned for unpaid fines. 3 June 2019. Emma . Griffiths. 1 April 2024.