Thousands of prisoner's voices are never heard... help hear their voices

In Australian prisons, 50% of prisoners have a disability, either physical, cognitive, or a mental health condition. People with disabilities are not more criminal than a person who doesn't have a disability, however the lack of wide-ranging mental health and social services has made it easier for people with disabilities to become imprisoned. The majority of prisoners are Aboriginal, or Torres Strait Islanders and research shows that most of the offenses committed are less serious than those committed by people without a disability, instead, they include crimes such as failure to pay fines, traffic violations or public order offenses. Common treatment of prisoners with disabilities include repeated harassment and bullying, and stolen possessions, cigarettes or medication, sexual and physical abuse, and solitary confinement.

An issue within Australian prisons is how prisoners with disabilities are punished for "bad behaviour". This bad behaviour, however, is a lack of communication between disabled prisoners and staff or other prisoners. Most prisoners with disabilities are either misdiagnosed or unaware of their disability and therefore do not state their disability before entering prison, or instead keep it hidden from others to protect themselves from harassment or being beaten up. This miscommunication means that staff misinterpret the behaviour of prisoners as being aggressive and troublesome, and instead of assisting them prisoners are punished.