Should Those with Criminal Records be Allowed to Become Teachers?
Can someone become a teacher with a criminal record? Like many legal questions, the short answer is: it depends. Many of us have made mistakes over the years, but what if one mistake could mean you were now ineligible for...
Do I Have to Report a Crime that I’ve Seen?
A video taken on a mobile phone shows a huge crowd of college students on a beach in Florida, in the United States. Police are viewing it to investigate a shooting, but then something else emerges. The video reportedly shows...
Anti-Bikie Laws Make a Mockery of the Law
Imagine being charged with a criminal offence and facing a six months in prison for simply having a few drinks at the pub with your partner. It might seem incomprehensible, but this is exactly what happened to a couple and...
Should Wrongly Convicted People be Compensated?
Imagine that you’re wrongly convicted of a crime and sentenced to a term of imprisonment. After spending months, or even years, protesting your innocence while going through court proceedings, the prospect of being found guilty of a crime you did...
Is There a Drug Problem Among Truck Drivers?
Truck driving is certainly not a cushy job. It is laborious and sometimes dangerous work, with truckies amongst the most likely to be injured or killed at work. It is well-known that truck drivers may be expected to work long...
Is It a Crime Not to Help Someone in Danger?
You may know about the Biblical parable of a man attacked and beaten by robbers during a long journey. He lay by the side of the road, dying. Two people passed him by, without stopping or offering help, while only...
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...
Do police make-up evidence to get convictions?
In NSW, section 317 of the Crimes Act 1900 makes it a criminal offence to tamper with evidence. The section says that anyone who attempts to mislead the court by fabricating false evidence, by making use of false evidence or...
Should employers be entitled to know about an applicant’s criminal record?
You might remember Jeremy Meeks, the US felon who made international news due to his ‘hot’ mug shots. Meeks became a hit in June 2014 after the Stockton Police Department posted the picture of him on its Facebook page, causing...
Helping Migrants Understand the Legal System
Migrants and refugees often come to Australia from war-torn and poverty-stricken countries in search of a better life for themselves and their families. Their birth countries may experience high levels of corruption, with police and government officials willing to turn...
