The Dangers of Joyriding
The offence of larceny, or theft, requires an element of intention to permanently deprive the owner of the item. So is it still stealing if you were just borrowing the item? ‘Joyriding’ is where a car is taken and driven...
Arrested for ‘Man-Spreading’
For many of us, public transport is a convenient and relatively affordable way to travel. But those who don’t follow rules of common courtesy on trains and buses can be a source of annoyance for some passengers. The selfish habit...
Video Evidence in Domestic Violence Cases
A controversial new law has recently come into force allowing complainants in domestic violence cases to make recorded audio-visual statements, rather than written statements. The new laws allow for video footage obtained by police following an alleged domestic violence incident...
Law Makes it Tougher to Tap Phones
The ripple effect of the NSW Police phone tapping scandal has widened with the announcement of a new rule surrounding the issuing of warrants for covert surveillance. Under the rule, announced by NSW Chief Justice Tom Bathurst, judges in the...
Human Rights Abuses on Nauru
Nauru: It’s the world’s smallest island nation, but it’s been making headlines in Australia of late. The island is the site of an Australian-run detention centre, which houses approximately 1000 asylum seekers in tent-like facilities. Conditions at the centre have...
Move Over DNA: Microbe Evidence May Be Coming
It may sound far-fetched, but could the microbes we all naturally carry around on our bodies be used to solve crimes? A group of researchers is currently looking into whether microbes can link people to crime scenes. What are microbes?...
Common Myths about ‘Section 10 Dismissals and Conditional Release Orders’
In NSW, non conviction orders are sometimes seen as a ‘second chance’ for people who are generally law-abiding citizens that ‘slip-up’ by committing relatively minor criminal offences. Getting a section 10 dismissal or conditional release order can help to avoid the potentially career-ending...
Unpopular Queensland Chief Justice Set to Resign
With one fellow judge refusing to sit on cases with him, and another who secretly records a private conversation and embarrassingly reveals his real thoughts, Tim Carmody is not exactly the most popular Chief Justice that Queensland has ever known....
Beards: A Hairy Business for Police
When taking a casual look around your local café, sporting club, supermarket or pub, you might notice that the beard is back. Not restricted to the usual stereotypes, the bearded bloke of the current era can be a refined one,...
Prisons as Dumping Grounds for the Mentally Ill
The link between mental health and crime has long been established; with inmates around four times more likely to experience mental health issues compared to the general population. Given these statistics, you might think that mental health services are easily...
