Anne Irwin
Anne Irwin is a volunteer Community Chaplain in Geelong in Victoria. She holds a bachelors degree in Dementia Care and a diploma of Chaplaincy. Her voluntary work brings her into contact with current and former prisoners and provides reliable anecdotal and experiential influences to recognise the need for change in our prisons.
Recent articles by Anne Irwin
1 November 2024
Matters of life and death: The other housing issue for low income renters
A Ministry of Housing property sold privately because it required a lot of work and money to bring it up to standard. The gas meter had been removed, as the property was sold as uninhabitable. The new owner rented it out in that condition. The middle aged man who rented it had no hot water, no heating and no cooking. He was paying most of his Centrelink benefit to live in this place, leaving him little to live on. He accessed the local swimming pool for free showers, aid agencies for food, a hot drink and a place to sit...
7 March 2024
A life sentence: The impact of wrongful convictions on family and friends
Picture a courtroom scenario, the accused and his family members have eyes on the jury foreman who is about to announce the verdict. The accused knows he is guilty, but is hoping for luck to come his way through the jurys decision. The foreman speaks: Guilty.
17 January 2024
Australias prison system: desperately in need of reform
We should be concerned about conditions for prisoners. Why? The obvious answer is that if the recidivism rate is high then the system is not working.