Should Prisoners Be Allowed to Vote?
It is often said that people are sent to prison as punishment, not to be punished. In other words, the loss of liberty is the price of committing crime, and inmates should not been unjustifiably denied other basic civil rights....
NSW Government Wants a Stronger Police Force
The NSW Government has pledged a record $3.9 billion to the New South Wales Police Force in its 2018-19 budget, with a commitment to more road side testing, initiatives to combat terrorism and new police stations. The announcement comes hot...
Cost Orders in NSW Criminal Cases: The Legislation and Exerts from Case-Law
In certain circumstances, defendants in criminal proceedings may be able to have their legal costs reimbursed - relieving some of the financial burden associated with being the subject of a prosecution. Two of the most common ways for a defendant...
When Can a Defendant be Granted a Judge-Alone Trial in NSW?
The high profile criminal prosecution of Cardinal George Pell has raised concerns about whether Australia’s most senior Catholic will have the benefit of an impartial jury during his pending trial in Melbourne. This, in turn, has triggered debate about whether...
No Criminal Charges for Don Dale Abuse
Northern Territory police have decided not to bring criminal charges against officers accused of mistreating young people at Don Dale detention centre. The co-commissioner of the Royal Commission into Youth Detention and Child Protection, Margaret White and Mick Gooda, said...
Calls for Crackdown on ‘Gay Conversion’ Therapy
‘Gay conversion’ therapy typically refers to the practice of persuading homosexual people to become heterosexual. It is a practice used across Australia for decades, and is usually practised by religious groups on children and teenagers. Moves to regulate the practice...
Tougher Bail Laws Have Led to a Sharp Rise in Refusals
The number of adults being detained in the NSW prison system is at an all-time high. As of March this year, the prisoner population stood at 13,494, according to NSW Bureau of Crimes Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) figures. This represented...
Australia – Where Backpackers are Exploited and Harassed
Australia has long been a country that young people aspire to travel - the golden beaches, surf culture, and the never-ending sunshine make it attractive to backpackers in particular. And the Australian Government has made it relatively easy for young...
Premier Wants Sniffer Dogs in Schools
The present heavy-handed approach to illicit drug use has been widely been discredited by former police commissioners, politicians and health professionals. Instead of curbing the use of the illegal drugs, it’s accepted it increases the harms associated with substance use. However,...
Live Facial Recognition Surveillance: Next on Our Government’s Agenda?
Currently, a parliamentary committee is reviewing a bill introduced into federal parliament in February that would establish a national facial recognition system allowing federal and state police access to a hub linking all identification photo databases that could be matched with...
