Ombudsman Blasts Government’s ‘Tough on Crime’ Policies
Victoria’s Ombudsman has described the state’s focus on refusing bail to suspects and imprisoning offenders as fundamentally flawed. Ombudsman Deborah Glass believes the government’s “short term headline-grabbing view of crime” does nothing to reduce crime or reoffending rates, but rather...
The Profile of a Shoplifter
There has been a great deal of media attention on the recent rise in supermarket shoplifting, with this form of larceny being made easier by the advent of self-serve checkouts. ANU criminologist Emmeline Taylor says anonymous surveys suggest that up...
Abuses of Power in Closed Institutions: A Better Way
The ABC’s exposé of abuse at Done Dale detention centre in the Northern Territory has shocked the Australian public and led Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to announce a Royal Commission into juvenile detention. Since the abuses hit the mainstream media,...
Australian Doctors Refuse to Be Silenced
As previously reported, Australian doctors have protested against laws embodied in section 42 of the Border Force Act 2015 (‘the Act’) which prevent “entrusted persons” from disclosing “protected information” about detention centres. The section prescribes a maximum penalty of two...
Politician Imprisoned for Fraud
Former Victorian Liberal State Director Damien Mantach has been imprisoned for almost three years for stealing over $1.5 million from his party. The 42-year-old pleaded guilty to 15 counts of ‘dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage’ after creating false invoices which...
Terrorism: Is Giving Police More Power the Answer?
84 people have been murdered and over 100 injured after an armed man drove a truck into a Bastille Day crowd on Friday. 52 people remain in a critical condition and 25 are on life support as a result of...
Brexit Vote Leads to Surge in Hate Crimes
Since Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, police in London have made 75% more arrests for hate crimes. In weeks before and after the vote, the number of reported hate crimes has surged by 42 per cent – with...
It Was Him! Problems with Identification Evidence
Identification evidence can be powerful inside the courtroom, but many studies have found that eyewitnesses often have a genuine, yet mistaken, belief that they have identified the person responsible for a crime – their “recollection” being affected external factors. In...
Bad Batch of Heroin Kills 13 in Sydney
NSW State Coroner Michael Barnes has issued an urgent warning after 13 deaths in one month have been attributed to a tainted batch of heroin circulating around Sydney. All cases occurred between May 2 and June 3, with many of...
NSW Government Slashes ICAC Funding While Being Investigated
NSW corruption watchdog ICAC will be forced to reduce staff numbers after the State Government announced funding cuts of 9.5% for the next financial year. ICAC commissioner Megan Latham says the decision has created a “funding crisis”, announcing that the...
