Justice Advocacy Service is calling for more volunteers in the Dubbo community

A justice service assisting people with cognitive impairments is seeking more volunteers in the state’s central west. Here’s how the service runs.

Dubbo Courthouse. Picture: Jedd Manning/Western Aerial Productions

A free justice service group helping people with cognitive impairments facing the court system is seeking more volunteers in the state’s central west.

The Justice Advocacy Service (JAS) has been operating in the Dubbo region since 2019 and has seen major changes in the process of the court system.

The service provides legal assistance to people with an intellectual disability, dementia, borderline intellectual functioning, acquired brain injuries, drug and alcohol related brain damage and people with autism from when they are arrested to a sentence.

Service volunteer Bruce McDermaid said the state’s prison population was “overpopulated” with people who have cognitive impairments because “they’ll give an answer they think people would want to hear”.

“The service is to make sure people understand their rights and what is going on in court - the legal system can be confusing for anybody,” Mr McDermaid said.

Bruce McDermaid. Photo: Tijana Birdjan.

JAS works with Legal Aid, the Aboriginal Legal Service and private solicitors to provide further support for their clients.

“We have a role to inform and interpret ... but 90 per cent of our time is spent managing the clients,” he said.

“Keeping them calm, keeping them grounded, keeping them distracted is a major part of our realm, and by doing that I feel that we allow solicitors to do their jobs better.”

He said the service was looking for more volunteers to assist in court and police station support.

Dubbo Courthouse. . Picture: Jedd Manning/Western Aerial Productions

“It’s very rewarding - I recommend it to anyone who wants reason in their lives,” he said.

One of the reasons why Mr McDermaid began volunteering was because his brother was diagnosed with dementia.

“It really struck a chord with me that he could get in his car and drive against restrictions that are on his licence and get arrested, but have no idea what he did,” he said.

“I knew more people were in similar situations so I thought I could help.”

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