Mandatory Indefinite Sentencing – A Good Idea?
How would you feel if you were sent to prison for an indefinite period of time? Such a scenario had been proposed by the Victoria state government before its election defeat over the weekend In a bid for popularity, the...
FIFA Scandal: Is Our Political System Corrupt?
Australia has recently been accused of corruption in a report by the FIFA ethics committee into the World Cup bid for 2022. The Committee alleges that Australian officials broke the rules around bids and ethics and tried to buy votes,...
The Eternal Question – Is Criminality Genetic, Learned or Both – and does a ‘Criminal’ Gene Exist?
How would you feel if you could predict your likelihood of becoming a ‘criminal’ with a single genetic test? If such a test was available, would you take it? It might seem like something out of a science fiction film,...
How to Tell if a Subpoena is for a Legitimate Forensic Purpose
A subpoena is a document requiring a person or organisation to hand-over documents or other evidence that may be relevant to a court case, or to attend court as a witness. Although subpoenae are normally prepared by a party to...
Inexplicable Incompetence or Pure Stupidity? How Dennis got Disbarred
When retaining a lawyer to represent you in court, you’d expect them to fight hard to protect your rights - especially if they are charging you an arm and a leg to defend your innocence. The vast majority of lawyers...
Vigilante takes Sydney by Storm in a Spate of Citizens Arrests
A little while ago, we published a blog on citizens arrests - where it is legal for a non-law enforcement officer to arrest another person. We mentioned the man with a personal vendetta against Uber X, Russell Howarth who made...
How To Get Excused from Jury Duty
Jury duty is not something that most people look forward to. It can be onerous and time consuming. In NSW, it’s not very well paid and can cause particular difficulties for those who are self-employed and need to be physically...
Should there be Special Courts for Indigenous Children?
The over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people in the criminal justice system is something that is frequently commented on, with an adult incarceration rate of almost 12 times the rest of the Australian population. Many of the measures...
Officer Google? How Technology is Impacting Law Enforcement
Many of us are familiar with the concept of Dr Google, and now it would seem that Officer Google isn’t too far away, with the tech giant branching out into the research and development of new technologies with law enforcement...
Students Buying Assignments Online Could Face Fraud Charges
Thousands of students could potentially face investigations for potential fraud after an investigation by Fairfax media revealed many have been buying assignments online, and even paying other people to sit online tests for them. The assignments were bought through a...
