The criminal justice system is constantly evolving in response to changing social, economic and political pressures. One that gathered momentum during the 1980s and 1990s was community concern about increasing crime rates, particularly property and violent crime, and the perceived link with illicit drug use and drug dependency, notably heroin. In response, Australia has experienced...

Nigel Stobbs writes about the disadvantage suffered by Indigenous victims, witnesses and defendants who don't speak English or for whom English is not their primary language. Stobbs writes that the issue involves more than sending in an interpreter.

This report investigates the extent to which people living in poverty interact with, and are affected by, the workings of the criminal justice system in Queensland. The investigation has engaged directly with the poor and with a range of professionals within this system. The focus on interactions with the police, the courts and corrective services...

In well-developed, democratic countries such as our own, we have long won the battle of establishing formal political and legal equality for all. However, as Greg Mackay points out, the struggle of making this equality an everyday reality for many people in our society is far from over. His article refers to the report No...

Results of a Criminology Research Council funded study argues for a nationwide system of screening of all accused offenders taken into police custody to identify those who require a comprehensive mental health assessment. Cross-agency communication also needs to be encouraged and further developed, and training for those who first come into contact with possibly mentally...