Should We Be Following the USA? The Americanisation of the Australian Criminal Justice System
With 5% of the world’s population and 25% of the world’s prison population, America has firmly cemented its position as the leading advocate for mass incarceration. But with Australia increasingly adopting Americanised law and order approaches, there are serious concerns...
Should Prisoners be Treated as Citizens? Cruelty & Corruption in Prison
Prisons are generally considered to be secure facilities which protect the wider community from those who are convicted of serious crimes. At the same time, they aim to ensure that inmates are adequately supervised and are supposed to promote rehabilitation...
NSW State Election: Who is Tougher on Crime?
Australian politics has faced turbulence in recent weeks, with the Prime Minister experiencing increased dissatisfaction and criticism, resulting in talks of a leadership spill. But with the NSW state election coming up on the 28th of this month, the spotlight...
Should Prisoners be Forced to Speak English?
NSW Attorney General Brad Hazzard has announced new restrictions for a number of prisoners in NSW who are considered to be high risk due to their alleged links with terrorism. These restrictions mean that the inmates are no longer allowed...
Should Police Be Allowed to Doorknock for DNA?
Imagine this: you hear a knock at the door and you go to open it. You see two police officers, who ask you for a DNA sample. They say that you can refuse, in which case they will just get...
Laws Against Motorcycle Club Members – Necessary or Just for Votes?
In the latest round of his crackdown on members of motorcycle clubs, NSW Premier Mike Baird has promised a new package of laws to complement existing “consorting laws” and further restrict communications between club members. Under the proposals, police will...
Should traffic fines be based on your income?
If you think traffic fines in Australia are expensive, be grateful you don’t live in Finland or Switzerland - at least if you are a high-income earner! Traffic fines are not a fixed amount in those countries, but rather take...
Should Headmaster Face Charges for Sexual Abuse Cover-Up?
Royal Commission hearings into the handling of allegations of indecent assault at prestigious Sydney boys’ school Knox Grammar have been told that a former headmaster deliberately withheld information from police about allegations of paedophilia. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses...
Do We Need Specific Upskirting Laws in NSW?
The Australian Capital Territory has implemented specific laws to make upskirting and downblousing a criminal offence. The practice of upskirting and downblousing involves taking close-up photographs or film of a person’s private parts without their knowledge. Victims are usually female...
Should it be compulsory to report animal cruelty?
You may have heard that the greyhound racing industry is in damage control after reports that many of its members have engaged in systematic animal cruelty, including physically abusing dogs and feeding live animals to them, which is known as...
