Can police interview a drunk person?
Imagine that during a night-out, you get into a drunken fight and are arrested and taken back to the police station. While you are still drunk, police want to put you in an interview room and ask you questions about...
How Can We Stop Women From Being Killed by Strangers?
It was a regular evening on 8th of March 2015 when Prabha Arun Kumar embarked on her usual route home through Parramatta Park in western Sydney. Just minutes later, tragedy unfolded as she was brutally stabbed to by a stranger...
Jill Meagher Murder – Should Juries Know About Prior Offences?
Adrian Bayley: It’s a name that sends chills down the spines of women right around the country. The 41-year-old man found himself in the media spotlight after he was convicted of murdering 29-year-old ABC employee Jill Meagher in Melbourne in...
Kids in Adult Prisons – Is it Ever Justified?
Imagine being a 12-year-old kid and getting told that you were being sent to an adult prison, where all the ‘hardened criminals’ are. It is a situation that many of us might find hard to comprehend. For those who have...
“Suicide by Cop” and the Growing Need for Police Mental Health Training
“Suicide by cop” It was a Sunday afternoon in San Francisco when 32-year-old Matthew Hoffman approached police officers and started asking questions about the weapons they were carrying. Later that evening, police noticed Hoffman loitering around a restricted parking lot...
Murder or Miscarriage? The Feticide Debate
One of the most hotly debated legal issues these days is whether those who have intentionally caused a miscarriage should be charged with foetal homicide - commonly known as ‘feticide.’ On the one hand, women’s rights advocates have cautioned against...
Is Your Lawyer the Real Deal? Consequences for faking a law degree
If you watch the legal drama Suits you would be familiar with the plight of Mike Ross, a college dropout who lands a job working alongside infamous New York lawyer Harvey Specter, despite never having received a law degree. But...
Is Death by Firing Squad Ever Justified?
It’s the fate that awaits members of the Bali Nine, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran - and a penalty that has drawn widespread criticism from human rights advocates all around the world. But in a move that has been labelled...
Do Protective Services Officers Have Too Much Power?
If you’ve been on social media recently, you might have come across a video depicting Protective Services Officers (PSOs) allegedly assaulting a man at a Victorian train station. According to Moustafa Sayegh, he was approached by the PSOs whilst waiting...
Will meta-data laws catch criminals, or turn civilians into suspects?
Last week, the Federal government’s controversial meta-data laws passed the Senate. The laws require internet and phone service providers (ISPs) to store your meta-data for a period of two years, and to hand that information over to a raft of...
