Is there a better way to predict whether someone once released will return behind bars?
Prison bars via www.shutterstock.com
Two-thirds of released prisoners in the US are arrested again within three years. Here’s how we could change that.
Muffet/Flickr
Crime rates have fallen - but our expert explains that it’s too soon to celebrate.
Killers who deliberately commit their acts in public places are often motivated by revenge.
Reuters/Chris Keane
Classifying killers into particular types is intuitively appealing. It helps us make sense of what otherwise seems senseless. But this approach tells us only the smallest fraction of their motivation.
Uber is popular. But is it ‘no safer than hitchhiking’?
AAP/Joel Carrett
The NSW Taxi Council says ridesharing platforms like uberX are no safer than hitchhiking. Is that supported by the evidence?
Demonstration against the death penalty in Paris.
World Coalition Against the Death Penalty
Not only does capital punishment not deter crime but it’s more expensive than keeping a convicted murderer in prison for life.
Juan Melendez – one of 150 innocent people who have been released from death row.
Witness to Innocence
More than 150 people have been released from death rows around the US after having their wrongful convictions overturned. Most continue to face social stigma and unemployment.
from www.shutterstock.com
What are the arguments for and against the death penalty and do they stand up to examination?
Joyce Mitchell appears in court in Plattsburgh, New York on July 28 2015.
Reuters
When it comes to their targets and tactics, inmates follow a predictable pattern.
Does this face look threatening to you?
Shutterstock
We have evolved a tendency to find people with wider faces to be more threatening. But appearances can be deceving.
The Australian policing response to bikie gangs is one–dimensional, with an enforcement focus placed above all else.
AAP
How can we judge success in Australia’s crackdown on bikie gang? And what lessons can we take away from this type of law enforcement campaign?
Television serial killer Dexter may be more of a psychopath than a sociopath due to his methodically delivered kills.
Pimkie/Flickr
Psychopaths and sociopaths have similar characteristics, lacking remorse or empathy for others. And they can both be violent, deceitful and manipulative. But what are the differences between the two?
The tentacles of the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta have spread from this Italian town, San Luca, to all across the world.
Reuters
What actually is the mafia? How does it operate? And what kind of criminal threat does it pose, in Australia and around the world?
The law enforcement response to online harassment needs to be modernised to meet the changing technological environment.
shutterstock
Is revenge porn just one example of technology intersecting with sexual and domestic violence? What legal efforts have been made to combat it?
Female serial killers are more likely to murder friends and family.
'Body' via www.shutterstock.com
Male serial killers get all the press. But what does the research say about female serial killers?
Lady Justice, meet your new Lord Chancellor.
Ronnie Macdonald
Gove wants to shake things up but seems to appreciate that lawyers are at the end of their tether.
A protestor at a demonstration against rape. Rape statistics collected by the police do not reflect the high levels of under-reporting.
Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
South Africa needs a new rape policy that will change the way the police collect statistics.
South Australia’s proposed anti-bikie laws criminalise the wearing of anything that indicates association with a declared ‘criminal organisation’ on licensed premises.
AAP/Eric Sands
While South Australia’s proposed anti-bikie laws may be constitutional, there are clear reasons why introducing them is at best premature – and at worst a very bad idea.
Australia acknowledges the sacrifices of war veterans on commemorative occasions, but those who are charged with criminal offences can only hope the court shows understanding.
AAP/Rebecca Le May
The creation of veterans’ courts could be part of a fundamental shift to a criminal justice system that genuinely tackles the causes of crime.
A NSW programme in which prisoners train stray dogs as part of their rehabilitation is one of a number of innovations adopted in recent years.
AAP
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.
Statistics don’t reflect the real picture of violent crime in the UK.
from www.shutterstock.com
Research on the UK’s only source of statistics on violent crime shows that domestic violence and violence against women are massively understated.