Category Archives: General articles

Articles relevant to the subject of wrongful convictions

Curse of the wrongful conviction of loved ones

Posted on September 27, 2021 by andrew

Partners and other family members are the first people of interest in criminal investigations – and often rightly so. But when the justice system fails and the accused is innocent, the wrongful conviction vastly increases the impact of the punishment. … Continue reading →

Posted in General articles | 7 Comments

Forensic evidence not always scientific but how would the courts know

Posted on September 26, 2021 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban. The best first thing that could happen in the criminal justice system is the rending apart of the police from the forensic services around the country, and the establishment of a full scale national forensic institute. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Forensic evidence, General articles | 3 Comments

Solitary confinement in Australian prisons – a study note

Posted on September 5, 2021 by andrew

A further punishment other than that imposed by the courts? A breach of Australia’s international human rights obligations? PETER NORDEN AO explores these questions in the following brief extracts from his paper, published in 2019.

Posted in General articles | 3 Comments

Something has to be done

Posted on August 26, 2021 by andrew

Our report (Aug 17, 2021), Wrongful allegation of child sexual abuse as weapon has drawn a heart wrenching response from “MARY”, the wife of a man who she firmly believes has been wrongfully convicted of sexual abuse of a minor. … Continue reading →

Posted in General articles | 2 Comments

Wrongful allegation of child sexual abuse as weapon

Posted on August 17, 2021 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban. There’s nothing worse than being wrongfully accused of child sexual abuse – except being wrongfully convicted of such a crime. Two books explore how the law and how society treat this explosive subject; allegation as weapon.

Posted in General articles | 3 Comments

Justice may depend on where you live

Posted on August 4, 2021 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban. If you’ve been wrongfully convicted, just hope you’re living in a jurisdiction with well developed correcting functions in the legal system. Differing legal mechanisms in different places produce uneven outcomes. And while Australia has yet to even … Continue reading →

Posted in CCRC, General articles | 6 Comments

Bromberg v Bolt: who was right v left?

Posted on August 1, 2021 by andrew

Controversial, lamentable, anti free speech – or perfectly justified? In the wake of the Menzies Research Centre’s Judicial Impartiality Report (see our story on July 22, 2021) and its findings regarding Justice Bromberg’s judgements, we review some responses to his … Continue reading →

Posted in General articles | 1 Comment

Compensation – the higgledy-piggledy method

Posted on July 29, 2021 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban.  Consistency in the administration of the law is absolutely paramount – yet compensation for mistakes (or malpractice) that convict the innocent is applied higgledy-piggledy by politicians throughout Australia. 

Posted in General articles | 15 Comments

Talking to Strangers – why we (and police and judges) mostly get it wrong

Posted on July 26, 2021 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban. The full title of Malcolm Gladwell’s book is Talking to Strangers: what we should know about the people we don’t know. For someone who did in fact talk to many, many strangers on the streets of Australia … Continue reading →

Posted in General articles | 16 Comments

Fool proofing the Attorney General

Posted on July 23, 2021 by andrew

The Attorney General’s Transparency Branch has a fool proof tactic, straight out of Yes, Minister, to shut down anything it doesn’t want to address. 

Posted in CCRC, General articles | 14 Comments