StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Natural Justice in Australia's Legal System - Assignment Example

Summary
This paper 'Natural Justice in Australia's Legal System' means that you cannot be put into prison unless you have done something wrong. A policeman can't detain you unless your detention is required to preserve principles of justice. For victims, this means that if someone hurts you the law can step in to punish them…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98% of users find it useful
Natural Justice in Australias Legal System
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Natural Justice in Australia's Legal System"

QUESTIONS Identify whether the following do or do not reflect the notion of natural justice in Australias legal system, and briefly explain youranswer. (a) trial by jury (b) access to an interpreter when arrested (c) badgering witnesses during a trial (d) legislated penalties for particular offences (e) negative media coverage of an offender prior to trial. Trial by jury is a vital part of natural justice. For most crimes everyone should have the right to have the evidence considered by their peers. Access to an interpreter is also an aspect of natural justice. Not everyone in Australia speaks English. In order for people to understand their rights and the charges against them they will need an interpreter. Badgering a witness is not a part of natural justice. Everyone should be treated respectfully and fairly. Badgering someone is sharp practice and not permitted. It is debatable whether legislated penalties are good or bad. Mandatory sentencing has been a trend in the international criminal justice system for some time, especially in the U.S. It is sometimes called mandatory minimum sentencing. In a way, it is a reaction to criticism from the right that judges are too activist and are given too much discretion in how they sentence criminals. These people believe that judges should have less discretion and that they should not be permitted to give less than the minimum sentence for various crimes. There are good and bad sides to mandatory sentences. It provides certainty in the system and is a good way for society to say how much they condemn certain crimes. It is a way of saying no matter what the circumstances of the particular crime, it is bad enough that you will at least be doing this amount of time. It also strengthens that hand of prosecutors who are looking for plea bargains. They can guarantee to the accused that they will spend X amount of years in prison if they dont confess or implicate their accomplices. On the negative side, when this policy is applied to people arrested for possession of marijuana the result is massive amounts of people incarcerated at taxpayers expense. Negative media coverage of an offender is not a part of natural justice, but it is impossible to stop. It may taint the jury pool and make it very difficult for an offender to achieve a fair trial. 2. Identify and explain the three main principles that underpin natural justice. There are many principles that underpin the idea of natural justice. The first principle is that people should have a right to answer the charge against them. They cant be locked up without a trial or a chance to have the evidence heard. Second, it is important for the justice system and the judge to be impartial. You cant judge a case in your own favour. There can be no conflicts of interest. A third and final important principle is that justice must be seen to be done. The act of justice cannot bring justice into disrepute. If that happens people will lose confidence in this system. 3. Identify two sources of authority (eg relevant treaty, declaration and any relevant legislation) for the following three human rights: (a) Equality under the law without discrimination (b) Protection against arbitrary arrest, detention or exile (c) Right to vote. (a) UN Declaration of Human Rights, Human Rights Commission Act, 1981 (b) UN Declaration of Human Rights, Australian case of Bales v Parmeter (1935), Habeas Corpus (c) UN Declaration of Human Rights and the Australian Constitution (in Roach v Electoral Commissioner) 4. Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person”. Explain how this right impacts upon offenders and their victims. This article means that you cannot be put into prison unless you have done something wrong. A police man cant detain you unless your detention is required to preserve principles of fundamental justice. For victims this means that if someone hurts you the law can step in to punish them. 5. In recent years, the Queensland Police Service launched their “One Punch Can Kill” campaign. This can be found on the Queensland Police Website under the One Punch Can Kill link. It has also been included for you at the end of this document (Case Study #1). Access this site to answer the following questions: http://www.police.qld.gov.au/programs/personalSafety/situationalAdvice/onePunch.htm (a) In addition to young men aged between 15-25 years, who is the program trying to reach, and why? The program also aims to reach out to women who can influence young men. It is hoped that they will support the program and convince young men that it is OK to walk away from a fight. (b) What are some of the social effects of alcohol related violence? There are many terrible effects of this kind of violence. It can result in a permanent criminal record and an inability to obtain a passport. Worst of all, if someone is injured or died there is a seriously negative effect on their family and the family of the offender. 6. Why do crimes such as domestic violence and rape often go unreported? Provide at least four (4) reasons in your answer. It is a tragedy but it is true. Domestic violence and rape often go unreported in Australia. One reason for this is that women in these situations are pressured by their partners not to report the crime. A second reason is that women may not trust the system to do anything about it. A third reason is that women may feel ashamed. A fourth reason may have to do with the dynamics of the relationship, perhaps they think that their partner will change and stop being violent. 7. Thinking in terms of social and criminal justice, provide four (4) explanations for the over-representation of Aboriginal people in Australian prisons. In your answer, also provide one example of how the Australian Government is responding to this inequality. One of the tragedy of the Australian criminal justice system is the number of Aboriginals in prison. There are many explanations for this. First, aboriginals tend to have less educational opportunities; second, aboriginals tend to be poorer; third, aboriginals tend to be more likely to be addicted to drugs or alcohol; and fourth, aboriginals tend to have less strong family structures. All of these things contribute to this problem. One potential solution is for the Government to spend more money on social programs in Aboriginal communities. That may help alleviate the problem. 8. The increase in alcohol fuelled violence has been addressed by the Queensland Government introducing a 3.00am lockout for all licensed venues. This means that patrons cannot enter a pub or a club after the lockout. Identify three (3) social justice issues which may have influenced this response, and explain your answers. The violence caused by alcohol does real harm to Australian communities. Strong action was necessary. First, some alcoholics need to be protected from themselves and this requires them to be locked out of establishments. Second, nefarious establishments are hard to control. They have to be locked up to prevent them from selling. Finally, it is in the interests of social justice to prevent drunks from being on the street late at night. Closing bars at 3 a.m. helps to prevent this. 9. Although the Australian Government provides free education to all children regardless of family income or status, what social inequalities may impact upon a childs ability to achieve academic success? Give three (3) examples and explain your answers. There are a number of inequalities which can impact on a childs education. One is the socio-economic status of a childs parents. They may not encourage the child to seek an education and they may not provide the appropriate role models. Another example is housing. If a child lives in poor housing it can effect their ability to perform as they may be cold and wet. A final example is health. Health outcomes are closely tied to socioeconomic factors. If a child is ill, they will miss school time. 10. Identify and explain the key elements of moral panic identified by Goode & Ben Yehusa. Refer to the case (Case Study #2) of convicted paedophile Dennis Ferguson to illustrate the presence of these elements in that case. There are a number of elements which may produce a moral panic. One of the most common is for parents to hear of pedophiliac acts occurring in the neighbourhood. There are many examples of people turning vigilante. One of the elements of this kind of panic is to ignore the rule of law and common sense. Principle such as innocent until proven guilty are thrown out the window. In the case of Ferguson these elements were exemplified. The media hounded him without evidence he was the perpetrator. He was the victim of moral panic. Works consulted Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Council: http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/OQPChome.htm ComLaw: www.comlaw.gov.au Queensland Courts website: www.courts.qld.gov.au White, R & Perrone, S (2005) Crime and Social Control, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press White, R & Haines, F (2008) Crime and Criminology, 4th edition, Oxford University Press Read More

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Natural Justice in Australia's Legal System

Australian Social Justice Reflections

Part A – Article 1 – Social justice in the Australian Criminal Justice System On January 8 2011, a 51-year old Aboriginal man died in police custody in the Western Australian town of Kalgoorlie.... The incident highlights a key issue that currently plagues the Australian Criminal Justice system - that of the lack of social justice within the system in regards to Australia's indigenous people.... This sentiment has shaped policies which have severely restricted the basic rights of many of australia's indigenous people....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

SWOT Analysis

The Australian legal system is based on a fundamental belief in the rule of law, justice and the independence of the judiciary.... Two party political system, is prevailing in Australia even though in many other democratic countries multiparty political system prevail.... This paper analyses the population, culture, economy, political, legal, and technological environment, strength, weakness opportunities, and threats of Australia....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

AUSTRALIAN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Why do we need a criminal justice system?... (name) (school) Why do we need a criminal justice system?... Why do we need a criminal justice system?... (name) (school) Why do we need a criminal justice system?... In order to ensure the peace and order in society, there is a need to implement a criminal justice system.... All countries have a criminal justice system, some with more advanced and effective measures, and others with less advanced and less effective methods of implementation....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Child Protection in Australia

For instance, grief and loss issues oftentimes result in suicidal feelings among the youth, drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness, overrepresentation in welfare and juvenile criminal justice systems, among other things.... The Western Australian Act of 1905 is perhaps the most notorious piece of legislation because of its gross erosion of rights of the Aboriginal persons; for instance, the Western Australian Act resulted to forceful removal of children from their families, natural environments, and the establishment of reserves for Aboriginal persons....
8 Pages (2000 words) Assignment

Essence of a Criminal Justice System

States have adopted different policies in regard to the criminal justice system as existent in their respective legal system.... The paper "Essence of a Criminal Justice system" highlights that as the crime rate is frequently going much higher, it is urgently required to have a sound and working criminal justice system in the country.... The study is aimed at exploring the essence or rationality of a criminal justice system.... Accordingly, the paper has made a thorough study and investigated the point to discover the essence of the criminal justice system for a given country....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Equity or Fairness in the Australian Legal System

australia's legal system is no exception to this international practice, and as a consequence, it has to recognize and adopt these principles.... The paper "Equity or Fairness in the Australian legal system" is an exceptional example of an essay on the law.... However, it has a legal system that is replete with lacunae.... The paper "Equity or Fairness in the Australian legal system" is an exceptional example of an essay on the law....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Human Rights and Social Justice for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

This essay "Human Rights and Social justice for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders" presents The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission that was established through the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act by the federal parliament in 1986.... ocial justice for Aboriginals and Torres Strait Island peoplesThere exist various and sometimes conflicting definitions of human rights whereby their source is also not agreed upon by different scholars and nations....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Insights into Practice Rationale

This essay "Insights into Practice Rationale" discusses the Australian society that is divided by differences in origin, culture, and even economic status.... However, it is quite unfortunate that the indigenous people are highly victimized against the expectations of any other society.... ... ... ...
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us