Our Perspectives on Current Criminal Law & Social Justice Issues
A sex offender accused of abducting a young girl in a Sydney suburb has been refused bail. Christopher Irwin, 34, was arrested last Friday after allegedly luring a seven-year-old girl away from the front yard of her grandmother’s home in Macquarie Fields. It is alleged the predator asked the girl, “Do you want to see Read more about Sex Offender Refused Bail After Luring 7-Year-Old Girl[…]
Young Indigenous people are 17 times more likely to be in detention than other Australians. Despite only 5% of the general population are Aboriginal persons aged 10-17, they make up almost half of those under youth justice supervision. The latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare youth justice report also found 39% of young Indigenous people were Read more about Abusive Treatment of Children in Juvenile Justice[…]
Several countries have banned the wearing of facial coverings in public places. These include: France, Austria, Belgium, Germany, China and Bulgaria. Recently, Sri Lanka joined the burqa ban list in a knee-jerk reaction to the series of suicide attacks that killed at least 250 people and injured hundreds on Easter Sunday. This controversial ban could Read more about Proposed Facial Covering Ban in Australia[…]
Geoffrey Rush was awarded a staggering $2.9 million after winning his defamation case against The Daily Telegraph. The Oscar-winner, 67, was wrongfully accused of “inappropriate behaviour” towards a female co-star in a series of reports by the newspaper publication. Record breaking defamation payout: economic loss, compensatory aggravated damages The record-breaking defamation payout included $1.98 million Read more about Geoffrey Rush Wins $2.9 Million on #MeToo Defamation Case[…]
The exploitation of workers within franchises have been the focus of amendments to workplace laws late last year. Franchisees who fail to comply with workplace laws can be hit with large financial penalties, with franchisors possibly held responsible for any breaches. Domino’s Pizza franchises fail to comply with workplace laws The Fair Work Ombudsman conducted Read more about Fair Work Ombudsman Investigation into Domino’s Pizza Franchises[…]
Motorists caught drink-driving or drug-driving on NSW roads will lose their licence under strict new laws that come into effect from today. Any driver, even if they are a first time or low-range offender, will receive an immediate three-month licence suspension and also cop an on-the-spot fine of $561. A low-range reading is considered anything between 0.05% and Read more about New drink-driving laws come into effect in NSW today[…]
With the heavy policing at Sydney’s Midnight Mafia Festival last weekend to the pop-up privacy screens at Central station, people have raised concern over the harsh strip-search laws in New South Wales. The invasive practice of ordering people to remove their clothes in strange private environments appears to be normalised as a general search procedure Read more about Pat Down on Strip-Searches[…]
A number of shopping malls and businesses are deploying high-pitched sonic devices to combat what they describe as anti-social behaviour by young people. The so called ‘mosquito devices’ emit high frequencies which can only be heard by people aged 25 or under. Mosquito devices used to deter young people from loitering In 2016, a community Read more about High-Pitched Sonic Devices Target Young People[…]
Imagine you are 10 years old. You are sitting on a cold floor in a small cell. You are surrounded by four concrete walls under a mesh roof. There is no sunlight. There is no contact with loved ones. There is no escape. Beside you is a thin mattress with no pillow. The water fountain Read more about Children Locked Up in Horror Watch Houses[…]
With the recent tragic events of Christchurch and Sri Lanka, some have called hate crime laws into question for their lack of use in Australia. Only 21 people have received convictions for hate crimes, despite the thousands of reported offences involving discrimination across the nation. Disturbingly, a recent study revealed approximately three offences have classifications Read more about Hate Crime Rarely Prosecuted in Australia[…]
