In the wake of the recent execution of underworld kingpin Pasquale Barbaro, The Daily Telegraph (16 November 2016, see below) utilised the sensationalist front-page headline “Taking out the trash” to signify his murder. Combined with the tagline “Gangland War on Sydney Streets” on a bloodstained backdrop, The Daily Telegraph effectively panders to the audience by […]
Underworld execution media beat-up – 16th November 2016 Read More »
Sex Offences: hysteria v reality This issue exposes the contradictions of personal behaviour, commercial interests and government responses like no other. Justice Action has for many years defended the apparently indefensible, embraced the most reviled, and feels that handling this issue properly will lead to a reconsideration of community values on punishment. The furore around
No one, whether convicted or otherwise, should be forced to give a medical sample of any kind unless it has been determined in open court that their right to bodily integrity and genetic privacy is exceeded by overwhelming issues of public interest in the evidence likely to be produced. Police and prison officers should play
Forensic DNA: Statement of Principles Read More »
The Proposal The Queensland Parliament has recently made a proposal for new changes to legislation that will place an overriding power on the Attorney General to overrule any previous court decision and detain individuals who are deemed a ‘risk to the public’ indefinitely, despite the fact they have completed their original sentence. The legislation will
Queensland’s changes to sex offender legislation: An overview Read More »
The battle for your DNAThe power of genetic research on large populations is impressive, and more will be carried out on other groups isolated by geography, cultural heritage, family lineage, and as yet unimagined categories. The value of such research is the knowledge it yields for individuals, groups and societies who can benefit from it.
Overview Crime, justice, and the media have long been intertwined. This is because crime constitutes a fertile ground for news production accounting for 35% of news produced daily. It is widely accepted that ideas, images, and narratives that dominate the media have a definitive impact on public opinion.1 The power of the media is unrivalled and
Media, Public Opinion and Crime Read More »