Invisible Sentences: The True Cost of Incarceration for Families, Communities and Government

Join us for an evening of powerful storytelling, lived experience, conversation and connection.

EVENT DETAILS:

📅 Thursday 26 November 2026

📍 Belgiorno Room, ACO on the Pier, Dawes Point

🕠 Doors Open: 5:30pm

🕣 Event Concludes: 8:30pm

Throughout the evening, attendees will hear stories, insights and reflections that explore the impact of incarceration on families, friends and communities.

We are also privileged to be joined by Professor Ruth McCausland from UNSW, whose work on the Social Determinants of Justice explores the social, economic and systemic factors that shape people's interactions with the justice system. Ruth will help frame the evening's conversations by reflecting on the broader impacts of incarceration and the experiences of families affected by the criminal legal system.

We are also honoured to welcome Dr Sophie Russell, whose doctoral research examined the impact of incarceration on families. Sophie will share insights from her research and discuss how imprisonment can affect family relationships, wellbeing, caregiving responsibilities and the lives of those who remain in the community.

Attendees will also hear from a lived experience panel featuring Yung Prodigy, family members and community voices who will share personal stories about the realities of supporting loved ones impacted by incarceration.

We are delighted to welcome Nancy Bates a Barkindji Woman Songwoman, singer-songwriter and cultural advocate whose award-winning prison music practice centres women’s voices, dignity and connection. Since 2018 she has facilitated music and songwriting at Adelaide Women’s Prison, including Solid Sisters, supporting Aboriginal women to create, perform and share their stories. Her work is featured in Songs Inside, a documentary illuminating the humanity and transformative possibilities of music-making with incarcerated women.

WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE NIGHT:

Doors open from 5:30pm with drinks, canapés and networking.

The evening will feature guest speakers, live music from Nancy Bates, lived experience story telling and artworks for sale from CRC's Paper Chained.

Event concludes at 8:30pm.

Together, we can help make the invisible visible.