Smoking Now Banned in NSW Prisons
When Victoria rolled out its ban on smoking in prisons last month, riots broke out in the Metropolitan Remand Centre. The riots lasted for hours and a lockdown of all prisons in Victoria followed. Up to 300 inmates were allegedly...
Smoking While Pregnant and Criminal Kids
Smoking while pregnant is frowned upon, with experts warning that it increases the risk of ectopic pregnancies, premature labour, miscarriages and developmental problems in children. But a new study has found it may have other hidden risks; with the Australian...
Should We Allow ‘Pill Testing’ At Music Festivals?
Australia has long advocated a zero-tolerance approach to drug use, imposing heavy penalties with lasting consequences for those who are caught with drugs in their possession. But these disincentives have done little to dissuade the 10.9% of Australians aged 14...
92 Charged with Drug Offences at Splendour in the Grass
Another year, another Splendour - and for the 30,000 music lovers who donned gumboots and braved the copious amounts of mud and rain, the event was a great success, with artists such as Tame Impala, Florence and the Machine, Mark...
Obama Frees Drug Offenders: Is Clemency Ever Justified?
In what has been hailed a remarkable act of mercy, President Obama last week used his power to order the release of 46 inmates who were serving sentences for non-violent drug offences. The move came as part of Obama’s promise...
Ten Celebrity Arrests
They might live a life of glitz and glamour, but A-list stars have a knack of finding themselves on the wrong side of the law. The mega trials of Michael Jackson, OJ Simpson and the ‘Blade Runner’ are known to...
What Happens if State and Federal Criminal Offences Conflict?
When it comes to criminal law, you may have noticed that both state and federal governments have enacted a range of criminal offences. In NSW, the major piece of legislation that sets out criminal offences is the Crimes Act 1900,...
Should Welfare Recipients Get Cashless Cards?
There has been much discussion in the media about how to effectively manage welfare payments, with conservative columnists and radio-hosts accusing welfare recipients of ‘blowing money on alcohol, drugs and gambling.’ Those personalities will be happy to hear that the...
Criminal Lawyer Facing Drug Charges
We might count on criminal defence lawyers to get us out of sticky situations every now and then, but as one criminal lawyer in Sydney recently found out, being a lawyer does not mean that you are immune from criminal...
The Muldrock Error is a Winner for Some
Two convicted killers have recently had their sentences cut on appeal, using the so-called Muldrock error as grounds. Both Yusuf Aytugrul and William Matheson claimed Muldrock error, and were successful in getting time off their non-parole periods and maximum sentences....
