On 18 October 2017 the NSW Parliament passed new legislation as part of its transformational reforms to the NSW criminal justice system. Dubbed ‘Safety First Reforms’, these changes fundamentally shift the landscape in the criminal justice system.
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In 2014, Steven Fesus, who was awaiting trial on a murder charge, was granted bail by the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney following a successful application made by his lawyer Dennis Miralis. Community outrage and a media frenzy followed – after all, he’d allegedly confessed to the crime which occurred some 16 years earlier, had…
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Protect Admissions Scheme: Keeping young offenders out of court The NSW Protected Admissions Scheme for Young Offenders In mid-2014, the Protected Admissions Scheme came into operation in NSW. It is a ground breaking scheme aimed at keeping young offenders out of the court system and avoiding lifelong criminal convictions for minor offences. The…
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If you are found not guilty in a summary hearing (i.e. a hearing in the Local Court) there are two types of costs applications that can be made: Costs under the Criminal Procedure Act Costs under the Costs in Criminal Cases Act Costs under the Criminal Procedure Act (‘CPA’) To be granted costs…
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If you do not attend Court, the Court can do a number of things: Adjourn it to allow you to attend and notify you of the new Court date. Deal with the matter in your absence. Issue a ‘bench warrant’ for your arrest for you to be brought to Court. Potential defences and outcomes…
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1. Loss of freedom Prisons are not good places to be. Offenders have to deal with the loss of autonomy and the restrictions over every aspect of their daily lives, and they may feel unsafe in the prison environment. According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, mental and physical health services are often inadequate, and…
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