In Victoria, police decide what to disclose in a criminal record check. These checks go to employers, housing providers and insurance companies. With a conviction, these checks can be a roadblock to accessing all manner of life’s necessities. And it doesn’t just impact serious offenders; a minor drug possession charge at 20 will be on...

This paper provides an overview of the changing nature of youth offenders and youth offending and the pressures that these have placed on the youth justice system, as well as the related policy developments of the Andrews Government.

Examines the reasons for the increase in the prison population in New Zealand since 2013 and recommends alternatives.

The Waitangi Tribunal has found the Crown in breach of its Treaty obligations by failing to prioritise the reduction of the high rate of Māori reoffending relative to non-Māori. The Tribunal says the undisputed disparity between Māori and non-Māori reoffending rates is longstanding and substantial. It says high Māori reoffending rates contribute to the disproportionate...

The provisions relating to bail in Victoria are already very strict. I do not consider that the Bail Act 1977 (the Bail Act) needs a major overhaul in terms of its theoretical underpinnings. In particular, I consider that there should continue to be a general presumption for bail, subject to the reverse onus and unacceptable...