Tilé and Olly Meets: Debbie Kilroy OAM

We are beyond excited to bring you this episode recorded back in October 2024 with Debbie Kilroy OAM. Debbie is one of Australia’s leading advocates for protecting the human rights of women and children through decarceration – the process of moving away from using prisons and other systems of social control in response to crime and social issues.

Debbie's story may be familiar to some, and we cannot do justice covering off everything in the short time we had the privilege of sharing with her. Debbie was in prison during a brief period of reform, allowing her to access opportunities for education, employment and day release, sharpening her special skill to ‘think around corners’. During her time in prison, Debbie worked hard for a degree in Social Work and took on the huge task of turning her life around. Since then, she has qualified as a Gestalt Therapist and Legal Practitioner, and has completed a Graduate Diploma of Forensic Mental Health.

Debbie established Sisters Inside in 1992, which advocates for the human rights of women in the criminal justice system and responds to gaps in the services available to them. We encourage our listeners to visit the Sisters Inside website if they wish to volunteer or donate. Debbie was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for services to the community for working with women in prison in 2003, and then awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal in 2004. She was also grantedthe Churchill Fellowship to explore decarceration strategies and programs internationally in 2014.

We really enjoyed this conversation, and so glad to finally publish it!