Library Resources for Criminology & Justice: News and Events

The stories listed on this bulletin are provided for information purposes only. They are included to reflect current events and community opinion relating to issues studied by students at ACAP. They do not reflect the views of ACAP.

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Nearly 300,000 Queenslanders fell victim to crime last year — now there's someone to champion their rights By Jessica van Vonderen
ABC, 06/09/24
A long-time domestic violence advocate, Ms O'Connor is Queensland's new victims' commissioner.

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A last minute amendment to NZ’s gang legislation risks making a bad law worse
ABC, 06/09/24
The government’s new gang legislation – now split into the Gangs Bill and the Sentencing Amendment Bill – is expected to pass its third reading soon. Broadly speaking, the legislation will make gang membership an aggravating factor at sentencing, and criminalise the display of gang insignia in public.

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Gisele Pelicot recounts 'scenes of horror' as French trial is told husband drugged and raped her for a decade
By Esther Linder
ABC, 06/09/24
A decade of sexual abuse orchestrated and filmed by her husband, Dominique Pelicot, is now the subject of a trial where Ms Pelicot waived her right to anonymity in order for the crimes to be made public.

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Teenage student charged with murder after four people killed in school shooting in Georgia 
ABC, 05/09/24
The 14-year-old shooter has been charged with murder and will be tried as an adult, local authorities said.

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Is policing in Australia corrupt and abusive? An eye-opening new book investigates By Clare Farmer
The Conversation, 05/09/24
The predominant theme of When Cops are Criminals is that police and policing in Australia are systemically corrupt and abusive.

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Locking up young people might make you feel safer but it doesn’t work, now or in the long term By Chris Cunneen, Fiona Allison, & James C. Beaufils

The Conversation, 03/09/24
The treatment of Australia’s children and young people is back on the national agenda.

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Jane has experienced abuse from her sons. In Tasmanian law, that's not family violence.
ABC, 02/09/24
Tasmania is the only Australian jurisdiction limiting the legal definition of family violence to abuse against a spouse or partner. Advocates say that approach creates barriers to accessing protective orders and support.

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The federal government’s proposed mis- and disinformation laws need to have clearer definitions – and include AI By Lorraine Finlay
The Conversation, 30/08/24
Dealing with misinformation and disinformation, particularly in political debate, is something that has perplexed governments around the world. How do we make sure people are not being misled – deliberately or otherwise – while safeguarding freedom of speech?

Romance fraud doesn’t only happen online – it can turn into real-world deception By Cassandra Cross
The Conversation, 30/08/24
... romance fraud can also happen in person, with the fraudster sleeping in the bed beside you.

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Long-read: The case against Lucy Letby By Christopher Snowdon
Spiked (UK), 30/08/24
Ignore the armchair detectives – there is overwhelming evidence that she murdered babies in her care.

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Can a 10-year-old be responsible for a crime? Here’s what brain science tells us By Susan M. Sawyer & Nandi Vijayakumar
The Conversation, 29/08/24
The age a child can be arrested, charged and jailed in Australia is back in the spotlight.

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The involvement of young people aged 10 to 13 years in the NSW criminal justice system By Karen Freeman & Neil Donnelly
BOCSAR, 08/24
This paper examines interactions between young people aged 10 to 13 years and the New South Wales (NSW) criminal justice system. It seeks to inform the current discussion on the minimum age of criminal responsibility by examining the number and nature of legal proceedings initiated against young people aged 10 to 13 years, the outcomes and penalties imposed by the NSW Children’s Court and the number of young people under 14 years of age held in youth detention.