Aysha Kerr is a proud descendent of the Quandamooka peoples from Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) and Moorgumpin (Moreton Island). She has worked in a range of justice settings since 2016, including in youth justice in the Northern Territory and Queensland. Aysha has completed a Bachelor of Justice (Criminology and Policing) from QUT; a Certificate IV in Indigenous Leadership at the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre, and a Master of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith University, and is passionate about breaking the cycles of First Nations criminal justice system involvement through community-led and culturally modelled alternatives to prison and youth detention. Aysha lives and works on unceded Gubbi Gubbi land.

Emma Cother has extensive experience working in complex social policy areas and across the full spectrum of advocacy campaigning either directly or as a consultant – from strategy and evaluation, to communications, creative production and stakeholder engagement. Emma has also led national programs in mental health and community engagement and founded and funded an international residence program for artists committed to social impact. Emma has a Masters of Social Development from UNSW and is an alumni of the Global Mental Health: Trauma and Recovery Certificate Program through the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma. Emma lives and works on unceded Gubbi Gubbi land.

With ten years experience working for ethically based organisations including Justice Connect and the Environmental Defenders Office, Georgie Murch has a deep commitment to social justice and strong skills in a range of administration, advocacy, campaigning and communications. Georgie is completing BA in Social Science (Community and Children). Georgie lives and works on unceded Gadigal land.

Hannah March is a former criminal lawyer, Crown Prosecutor, and worked as a Chief of Staff to a federal cabinet Minister. Hannah is helping to build ethical and evidence-based campaigns to change political and justice systems to help make our community safer. Alongside working with the Justice Reform Initiative, Hannah also works for JusticeNet SA. Hannah lives and works on unceded Kaurna land.

Indra Esguerra has been working as a community campaigner for over 30 years in a range of environment and social justice areas, and was also Chief of Staff for the ACT Greens Minister for Corrections and Justice, then Attorney-General, for many years. Indra works part-time for the Justice Reform Initiative in the ACT and works for an Indigenous land and sea management organisation on other days. Indra lives and works on unceded Ngun(n)awal/ Ngambri Country.

Kimberley Wilde has worked across the Western Australian community sector, including in the alcohol and other drug, housing/homelessness, and community legal assistance sectors; and she has volunteered with several grassroots human rights and environmental campaigns. Kimberley’s academic background is in sociology. The impacts of imprisonment are woven into the tapestry of Kimberley’s family, influencing her advocacy for whole of system reform to reduce incarceration and build safer, more inclusive communities. Kimberley lives and works on unceded Whadjuk Nyoongar land.

Kirsten Wilson is a narrative therapist and social worker and has worked for more than a decade with children and young people in a range of community settings with a significant focus on youth justice in Mparntwe. Prior to working at the Justice Reform Initiative, Kirsten coordinated NAAJA’s Mparntwe based Youth Throughcare team. She has also Chaired the Central Australian Youth Justice (CAYJ) network and the Youth Justice Advisory Committee in the Northern Territory. Kirsten lives and works on unceded Arrernte country.

Lorna Robinson is a passionate advocate for reshaping how we research, design services, and understand social issues, advocating for the centring of lived experience. Lorna believes that meaningful change can only occur when lived experience is at the forefront and genuinely valued. Drawing from her own experiences, Lorna is dedicated to reshaping the narrative and increasing awareness by challenging misconceptions and promoting meaningful, lived expertise-led solutions. Lorna works part-time for the Justice Reform Initiative and works for the Constellation Project on the other days. Lorna lives and works on unceded Kaurna land.

Dr Louis Schetzer has over three decades of experience working in community legal centres, legal aid commissions and Aboriginal legal services in Victoria, New South Wales and the Northern Territory specialising in human rights, criminal law and poverty law. Lou works part time for the Justice Reform Initiative and is  also a teaching academic at the Faculty of Law and Justice at the University of NSW. In 2018 Lou completed his PhD at the University of NSW focusing on the application of legislative human rights instruments to outsourced services performed by non-government and private agencies. Lou lives and works on unceded Bidjigal land.

Dr Mindy Sotiri has worked in criminal justice system settings as an advocate, community sector practitioner, activist, academic, and researcher for more than twenty-five years. During this time, much of her work has been focused on advocacy around decarceration and building sustainable community-based and community led pathways outside of prison settings. Mindy completed her PhD in 2003 (looking at the purpose of imprisonment in NSW); completed a Churchill Fellowship in 2016; and is a senior visiting fellow at UNSW. Mindy lives and works on unceded Gadigal land.

Pat Burton has worked for more than three decades in the community sector with young people, homeless populations, people facing food insecurity, and people leaving custody (including leading the design and delivery of reintegration programs for people leaving prison in Hobart). Pat was a founding member and chair of JusTas, and volunteers with Just Desserts and the Onesimus Foundation. Pat has also contributed to a range of research projects looking at the intersection of the criminal justice system and other forms of disadvantage. Pat works part-time for the Justice Reform Initiative. Pat lives and works on unceded Muwinina country.

Rocket Bretherton is a proud Noongar woman and has many years experience as a campaigner and advocate. She also has deep subject matter expertise as a consequence of her own experience in the NT justice system. Rocket has been working since 2019 to raise public awareness of the failings of the justice system and is an expert advisor on a range of panels, advisory groups and projects related to justice, mental health and disability. Rocket lives and works on unceded Larrakia land.

Sara currently works, studies, volunteers and advocates for marginalised and criminalised people, and understands first-hand the drivers of incarceration, the harms of the justice system and the way imprisonment further exacerbates trauma. Sara shares her personal lived experiences and deep expert knowledge of the justice system to bring about change. She advocates for non-carceral responses to disadvantage and is focused on building communities where disadvantage is not met with a punitive, criminal justice system response. Sara works part-time for the Justice Reform Initiative in Victoria and on the other days works at Neami National. Sara lives and works on unceded Wurundjeri country.

Tina has experience as both a student, teacher, and object/subject of criminology, having spent time in prison and under community corrections orders. She campaigns and advocates for the recognition and inclusion of lived experience expertise and is working to see person-centered language replace harmful system language. In addition to her work with JRI, she is undertaking a PhD in Law at UNSW about the collateral consequences of conviction. Tina works part-time for the Justice Reform Initiative and on the other days teaches at UNSW. Tina lives and works on unceded Gadigal land.