Custody For Life (CFL)

About the Custody For Life program

The Custody for LifeTM (CFL) Program is an information session, specifically targeted to young people, about brain injury that can result from high-risk behaviours.

As there is no ‘cure’ for brain injury, the emphasis must be on prevention. Over 40% of people who sustain a brain injury each year are young people aged between 15 and 24 years old.

‘Custody for Life’ – creating awareness of brain injury to help young people to make informed choices about the activities and behaviours they engage in.

BIAT delivers the ‘Custody for Life’ program to young people in Tasmania in partnership with Tasmania Police and Community Youth Justice (Department of Health and Human Services).

What makes the CFL program special?

The Program aims to prevent brain injury by making young people more aware of the long-term impact a brain injury can have on their lives, and the lives of their families and friends.

The session has been designed to raise awareness of the relationship between high-risk behaviours such as assault, binge drinking, and drink driving, and sustaining a brain injury.

CFL sessions are co-presented with a person with brain injury; someone who shares what their life was like before brain injury, how their brain injury happened, and what the consequences have been - providing participants with real insight into the lived experience of brain injury.

Each Custody For Life session is an interactive learning opportunity – where young people learn about:

  • The brain and how it works;
  • Causes of brain injuries; and
  • Typical outcomes after injury.

Program features

An engaging presentation about the brain, brain injury and its often-devastating effects, presented specifically for young people;

Interaction with participants through discussion, different media and examples of brain injury in the community;

The sessions run for approximately 1.5 hours, and are held every 2 months in Hobart, dependant on demand.

Download CFL Flyer >Contact BIAT for further information >

Why ‘Custody for Life’?

The ‘Custody for Life’ (CFL) program is designed for young people at risk of entering the criminal justice system.

Attending the CFL session is often:

  • a police requirement in response to criminal behaviour of a type that has a high risk of brain injury – such as driving offences, assaults, and binge drinking;
  • part of an alternative to a custodial sentence and possibly time in a juvenile detention centre.

The name ‘Custody for Life’ refers to the fact that - while a custodial sentence is for a predetermined period of time – the brain injury the young person or someone else could sustain as a result of their risk-taking behaviour would last a lifetime.

The Facts

  • Violent assaults and motor vehicle crashes are rated among the top three most common causes of traumatic brain injury (TBI)
  • A brain injury is often referred to as the ‘invisible’ disability and is potentially one of the most devastating disabilities.