Dr Michele Ruyters is Deputy Dean of Justice and Legal Studies at RMIT University. She was admitted into practice in 1984, with practice areas primarily in criminal law and family law. Michele began her academic career in 1995, and teaches in criminal law, criminal procedure, evidence, and sentencing. She has been the director of the Bridge of Hope Innocence Initiative, based in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, since its inception in 2014.