Aim: To determine whether greater efficiency can be achieved through application of the Rolling List Court (RLC) model to NSW District Criminal Court matters. Method: A non-blinded randomised trial was initiated in which eligible District Criminal Court matters were randomly assigned, after committal, either to the RLC or to the general court list. Each matter...

Access to justice is fundamental to ensuring that core values of our community are translated into practice. Those values include the rule of law, fairness, and equity. Access to justice works to ensure that citizens are treated fairly by government; it supports social cohesion and a common commitment to the life and institutions of the...

Aim: To examine the effect of the Bail Act 2013 (NSW) and subsequent ‘show-cause’ amendments on trends in the number and proportion of defendants being refused bail. Method: Descriptive analysis of the number of defendants, proportion of all defendants and proportion of ‘bail eligible’ defendants refused bail each month in all NSW courts between February...

Aim: To examine trends in the use of conditional discharges in New South Wales Local Courts between 2004 and 2015. Method: Data for adults found guilty of at least one offence in the New South Wales Local Courts between January 2004 and September 2015 were examined. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine whether...

Child sexual abuse is difficult to prosecute and has one of the highest attrition rates of all criminal offences. Part of the difficulty in prosecuting these cases is that offending is often hidden from public view, leaving only the complainants’ evidence to establish the defendants’ guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The ability of child sexual abuse...