The British justice secretary’s proposal to make short prison sentences a last resort is the right idea at the worst possible time.
New legislation in WA might provide reassurance to victims of crime, but risks political interference when it comes to deciding who gets parole.
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Under new WA legislation, the state’s attorney-general has the power to order serial killers and mass murders remain in jail, sometimes without judicial review.
How much have you had to drink?
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In historic cases the potential for a sentence to rehabilitate, incapacitate or deter the offender is largely insignificant – leaving the focus solely on retribution.
Rachel Tunstill, 26, killed Mia Kelly soon after giving birth to her in the bathroom of her flat in Burnley, Lancashire, in January 2017.
Lancashire Police
The killing of a newborn baby by its mother is the most shocking of crimes - but more needs to be done to understand the mental condition of the women that do it.
Use of data-driven risk assessments in sentencing may be heard by the Supreme Court.
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The Supreme Court may soon hear a case on data-driven criminal sentencing. Research suggests that algorithms are not as good as we think they are at making these decisions.
Harriet Wran was sentenced to four years in prison with a non-parole period of two.
AAP/David Moir
The internet and social media have expanded the potential for more enduring forms of non-judicial punishment by way of continued denigration, humiliation and abuse.
A bill that would give courts in NSW the power to restrict offenders departs from existing regimes in many striking ways.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
As a country that claims to uphold the human rights of all – including those before the law – Australia should take notice of international practice when it comes to life imprisonment.
Women who commit the same crime as men should in most cases receive lighter penalties.
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The undeniable difference between men and women when it comes to committing crime should be reflected in a fundamentally different approach to the sentencing of women.
State leaders endorsed a plan at COAG last week that would see some terrorists jailed indefinitely.
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Detaining persons convicted of terrorist offences for lengthy periods after they have served their time could risk radicalising a section of the community who see the measure as unjust.
Is he really guilty if he had a genetic predisposition towards impulsive behaviour?
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Approaches to crime that rely on punitive methods have proved to be ineffective and counter-productive. Rehabilitation programmes not only prevent crime, but are cost-effective and practical.
Unless most prisoners are given a realistic prospect of rehabilitation, how much good can prison really do?
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Sentencing policy is a mixed bag of approaches: punishment, deterrence, protection and rehabilitation. The system will remain costly and ineffective until punitive instincts give way to a more rational approach.
Lana Towers was murdered by her partner. The court heard statements on the impact of her death on family and friends and, for the first time, on the broader community impacts of domestic violence.
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In May 2013, Michael Suve McDonald beat to death Lana Towers, his partner of eight years and the mother of their two children. In what is thought to be a world first, the South Australian Commissioner…
Three policemen died in the incident that led to Roberts’ sentence.
PA
The news that Harry Roberts is to be released from prison – potentially within days – has been greeted with outrage among the police. But after 48 years in prison, it’s time the knee-jerk reactions stopped…