With bars, without walls
Chloe Potvin sheds light on the housing challenges female Indigenous prisoners face post-release.
Crime – Page 5
West of Memphis – Mid-Week Review
By Rose Hunter. I should start with the disclaimer that I’d never heard of the “West Memphis Three” before I saw this film, nor of the documentary series that told their story, the Paradise Lost trilogy. However, this meant that the documentary style and revelations in the film were all the more convincing when delivered as […]
Offshore processing, gay marriage and youth justice: the human rights wrap up
Offshore processing bill passes Senate The Senate has passed legislation which allows the offshore processing of asylum seekers who come to Australia by boat. The Government has said it is looking at getting the processing centres up and running on Nauru and Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island within a month. Gavin Marshall, a factional colleague […]
Interview with Christine Assange
Samaya Chanthaphavong spoke to Christine Assange about government transparency, human rights and the possible extradition of her son, Julian Assange, to the United States of America. Right Now: Julian is seeking political asylum in Ecuador. Can you please explain to our readers why you think the Australian consular or governmental support has abandoned him, and […]
CHILDREN’S RIGHTS, TAMIL ASYLUM SEEKER DEPORTED & DISABILITY INSURANCE: THE HUMAN RIGHTS WRAP UP
Government fails on child rights The Australian Human Rights Commission has found that Australia’s treatment of suspected people smugglers who said that they were children has breached international human rights law in a report released on Friday. The report An age of uncertainty reveal that between 2008 and 2011 Australian authorities gave little consideration to […]
Diversionary Schemes for Young People: What are they and why do we need them?
By Emma Breheny. This article is part of our July focus on the rights of children and youth. Read our Editorial for more on this theme. Diversion is one of many sentencing options available in Victoria’s criminal justice system. It aims to direct people away from formal involvement with this system in recognition of the fact that this […]
Off the Record – Criminal Record Discrimination
“I think if I didn’t take this job, I’d probably be in prison, or dead. One of the two.” These are the words of an anonymous interviewee in the short documentary, Off The Record. The documentary shares the stories of individuals who have struggled when seeking employment due to their criminal record. In Victoria, there […]
Trafficking, mental disorder & sexual abuse in the ADF: The Human Rights Wrap Up
14 July 2012 Vulnerable young women subject to trafficking in Queensland mining towns According to the The Age, vulnerable young women from Southeast Asia are being trafficked for sex in booming mining towns in Queensland. Mount Isa police district Inspector Paul Biggin has said that women and girls who can speak minimal or no English, […]
Interview with Aloysia Brooks
Samaya Chanthaphavong interviewed Aloysia Brooks, founder of the Justice Campaign which calls upon the Australian government to enact federal human rights legislation, and to open an independent and public investigation into David Hicks’ detention and conviction by the Guantanamo military commission. Aloysia Brooks is a human rights and social justice advocate who campaigns for the […]
Bailing Out Young Offenders
This article is part of our June theme, which focuses on Indigenous People and their human rights. Read our Editorial for more on this theme. In February, Right Now focused on the topic of prisoners’ rights; an issue notable by its absence from the human rights debate in Australia. Sarah Morgante from Whitelion acknowledged that: “It’s […]
Read & Rights Review: All That I Am
“When Hitler came to power I was in the bath.” Whenever I convince someone to read this book, I can think of no easier way than to quote its opening sentence. Hitler is right there, second word, so you know it’s not going to be an overly cheerful read. But the fact that our narrator, […]
Private prisons in Australia: our 20 year trial
The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons – Dostoevsky, The House of the Dead Prisons run by private companies are now part of many justice systems around the world. Archaic signs reading ‘Her Majesty’s Prison’ are far from the emerging reality of modern, for-profit facilities. State and Federal […]