43 Years in Isolation: Cruel and Inhumane Punishment?
It’s been a long and lonely road to freedom for Albert Woodfox - who, until his recent release, was America’s longest-serving solitary confinement prisoner. Mr Woodfox had been kept in isolation since 1972, when he, along with co-accused Herman Wallace,...
11-Year-Old Charged with Murder in WA
An 11-year-old boy appeared in Perth Children’s Court last week facing a charge of murder. The desperately sad and shocking story of the boy’s life gives some insight into how he ended up one of the youngest children in Australia...
When a Confession is Not What It Seems
A suspect’s confession can be powerful evidence to present to a jury. Regardless of whether they stand by their ‘admissions’ or not, self-incriminating statements have led to innocent people being convicted and serving long sentences in prison. Mental illness aside,...
Murder: Separating Fact from Fiction
Although psychopathic serial killers and bizarre murder plots feature heavily in Hollywood films, they are relatively uncommon in real life. And while there are indeed many unsolved murders in Australia, most killings are committed by those who are known to...
Forgotten Victims: The Families of Serial Killers
There is little sympathy for one group of victims affected by a serial killer’s reign of terror. Under the ferocious glare of the public and the weight of their own shame, desperate mothers, regretful fathers, angry daughters, and broken sons...
Court Overturns Jury’s Decision and Releases Convicted Murderer
Sydney man Moustapha Dib was convicted of murder in 2012 and sentenced to at least 30 years in prison; but he walked free from Goulburn jail on Monday after serving just over three years behind bars. Dib had previously been...
Barrister Cleared of Murder Gets Life Back on Track
Perth barrister Lloyd Rayney once made a living prosecuting criminal cases - but in an ironic twist of fate, the former Crown prosecutor was charged with his wife’s murder in 2010. Corryn Rayney’s body was found in a shallow grave...
New Zealand’s ‘Three Strikes and You’re Out’ Policy
Since 2010, New Zealand has implemented a ‘three strikes policy’ to crack down on repeat offenders. The laws take power away from the courts when it comes to determining penalties for those convicted of multiple serious offences, and can lead...
Do AVOs Protect Domestic Violence Victims?
Last week, yet another woman died a violent death in Australia. Sharon Michelutti is the fourth woman recorded by Destroy the Joint in their Counting Dead Women 2016 project, which reports deaths resulting from violence against women. The count for...
Making a Murderer: David vs Goliath
The ten-hour Netflix documentary series, Making a Murderer, follows the trials of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey for the rape and murder of Teresa Halbach, revealing significant problems with adversarial justice systems - where a defendant with limited funds is...
