Latest BOSCAR statistics and the need for greater focus on rehabilitation: An interview with Deputy Mayor of Dubbo and Barrister Stephen Lawrence
By Poppy Morandin. Recent release of crime statistics detailing a quarterly update for this year, have revealed that crime across most of NSW has remained stable or fallen in the two years to June 2020. A major exception to this finding was within the crime category of sexual assault, which has risen 9.4% over ...continue reading
NSW Teacher Charged With Child Grooming Offences
By Poppy Morandin and Jimmy Singh. A 27-year-old man who formerly worked as a student teacher has been charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old female student. The arrest followed an investigation by the Detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad beginning in June of this year, after the alleged victim reported that ...continue reading
Penalties on Publishing the Identity of Sexual Assault Survivors in NSW: Interview with Sexual Abuse Survivor, Activist and Jewish Community Leader Manny Waks
By Poppy Morandin and Jimmy Singh. Changes to Victoria’s Judicial Proceedings Reports Act have stopped survivors of sexual assault in Victoria from utilising their real names when publicly sharing their stories of abuse. The recent changes, which took effect in February 2020, mean that it is now an offence for victims, as well as ...continue reading
The New Laws on Mental Health in the Criminal Justice System: The Diversionary Pathway
There is an available legislative framework for a NSW court to determine criminal proceedings where the accused or defendant has mental health issues relevant to the case. This legislative framework is echoed in The Mental Health (Forensic Provisions) Act 1990 (NSW) (‘The Act’). It is a response to the increasing contact with the criminal ...continue reading
Abducting a Child Penalties in NSW
By Sahar Adatia and Jimmy Singh. A 65-year-old man who approached a six-year-old girl outside a primary school in regional Victoria while on his mobility scooter in an attempt to abduct and sexually assault her has been jailed for six years. Ian Hooper of Mildura went to the school on his mobility scooter one ...continue reading
Concerns Reignited for Prisoners Amid Further Outbreaks of COVID-19
By Poppy Morandin. There are reportedly 70 inmates in lockdown within Silverwater Correctional Complex after coming into close contact with a staff member who has tested positive for COVID-19. Within their advocacy efforts, The Greens have issued an open letter to Anthony Roberts, Minister for Corrections detailing the “significant concerns…about the lockdown at Silverwater ...continue reading
Law on the Age of Criminal Responsibility in NSW: An Interview with Greens MP David Shoebridge
By Poppy Morandin and Jimmy Singh. Despite a strong campaign to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14, the decision has been deferred to 2021, following concerns that further work needs to be done regarding processes and services for children who exhibit offending behaviour. The issue was discussed at the meeting ...continue reading
Man Charged Over Alleged Sexual Act with Underage Girl on Bus in Hunter Region
By Sahar Adatia and Jimmy Singh. A man has been charged over an alleged sexual act that took place in front of an underage girl on a bus in New South Wales’ Hunter region last month. The incident is said to have occurred around 1:45pm on 24 June 2020 when a 16-year-old schoolgirl boarded ...continue reading
Law on Correctional Employees Engaging in Sexual Conduct or Intimate Relationship with Inmates in NSW
By Sahar Adatia and Jimmy Singh. A Sydney prison guard is facing the grim possibility of two years behind bars over an alleged sexual relationship she had with an inmate that continued for several months in the confines of a Western Sydney jail. Melissa Goodwin was provisionally stood down in May 2020 by her ...continue reading
Jury Trials Return to NSW After a 3-Month Freeze
By Poppy Morandin & Jimmy Singh. With COVID-19 related restrictions easing and business seemingly returning to normal for most of New South Wales, the District Court has begun criminal trials before juries again. The return will be done under strict measures including temperature checks and screening questions for jurors, in order to prevent individuals ...continue reading