Sam Uffindell experienced a form of forgiveness after assaulting a younger schoolboy 22 years ago. But this should be the norm under NZ’s child justice system, which is overdue for reform.
The murder of Ahmaud Arbery exemplifies the racial, often violent barriers still remaining in the US. The 25-year-old Black man was out for a jog. But three white men thought he was a criminal.
Punishment for crimes allows a society to express its values, but a theorist of criminal law and punishment argues it could also reinforce prejudicial stereotypes about racial and ethnic groups.
The Attica uprising marked a milestone in the prisoners’ rights movement. Many of the grievances aired in 1971 are still relevant to today’s incarcerated population.
The UN has twice called on Australia to dismantle its indefinite detention system for people with cognitive impairments and mental illness, which disproportionately affects Indigenous people.
A recent Labor Department memo urges agencies to avoid releasing press releases accusing companies of violating laws, to protect the companies’ reputations. People are denied the same protections.
Possessing heroin, cocaine, meth and other drugs for personal use is no longer a criminal offense in Oregon. The idea is to get people with problem drug use help, not punishment.
With mountains of digital evidence, advanced computing techniques could help judges and jurors better understand how criminal syndicates operate — potentially allowing fairer sentencing.
The criminal justice system presupposes people generally are free to decide whether or not to engage in criminal behaviour. However, the courts acknowledge not everyone has free will.