An interactive website to assist criminal lawyers who are representing the mentally ill or impaired in the criminal justice system will be unveiled at Queensland University of Technology on Thursday October 23.
Queensland Attorney General Kerry Shine will officially launch the on-line project known as the Queensland Criminal Justice Centre, (QCJC) .
QUT PhD researcher Andrew Caple, from the Faculty of Law has been instrumental in the establishment of the website, which will serve as an on-line manual for lawyers to assist people with a mental illness, intellectual disability or acquired brain injury that are facing criminal charges.
Mr Caple, who also works as a lawyer at TASC, said the on-line resource aimed to provide relevant information to lawyers, mental health practitioners and the wider community.
"Lawyers as well as the wider community will all benefit from this site and find it useful in gaining information and assistance, '' said Mr Caple.
"The cornerstone of this initiative is to provide practical information to lawyers defending the mentally ill, which in turn will provide better access to justice.
"Remarkably, given the number of cases which lawyers are faced with, there is a lack of resources which guide practitioners through the intricacies of Mental Health law.
"By creating a one-stop website, lawyers now have a place to go to find the information that is required, to help treat and defend those who are most vulnerable, '' he said.
The website, which received funding from the Queensland Government, was developed as part of The Advocacy Support Centre (TASC), a non-profit organisation which provides counselling, advocacy and legal support to marginalised Queenslanders.
The QCJC emanated from the work of the multi-award winning TASC Disabilty Law Project (DLP), which provides legal support services to disabled defendants in Toowoomba.
Mr Caple said while the QCJC will initially focus on people with psychiatric and intellectual disabilities, the project would expand to include other marginalised and vulnerable person's in-line with TASC's commitment to ''Justice for All''.
QUT's Faculty of Law is sponsoring the launch to be held at Gardens Point Campus from 5.30pm for a 6pm start.
Those interested in attending can call 07 3138 1058 or email rsvplaw@qut.edu.au.