es Xavier boys whose dad is a QC…w.hat did u expect?
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Judges & Magistrates have too much power & nowhere near enough accountability. Serious assaults should have mandatory minimum custodial sentences.
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They should be put in stocks and taken to with baseball bats. The dropping of some of those charges is disgraceful.
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Hate this ■■■■ happening. Erodes one’s trust in justice being done.
This is it, but don’t forget the minimums are also at discretion. So thats where you will see ‘circumstance’ become a factor in sentencing.
Back to @up_up . Class/background and who you know always comes into play. Justice is not blind, nor has she been. In regards to the magistrates the good lawyers know who to get in order to achieve a favorable outcome. EG: There was one that the clerks knew was lenient on drink driving so it would be arranged by certain people to get their clients in front of them.
If these three fkn idiots were of lower social background there would not only be a harsh sentence, but also a huge public outcry.
If anyone thinks these kids will have trouble getting a job or anything because of what happened, then you’re nuts. Privilege will shine through and the boys club will look after them.
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They pulled the mental health card
What a disgrace, no prize for guessing what the outcome would have been for a normal Joe Blow.
That video footage is confronting, who in their right mind stomps on someone’s head after a fucj9ng football match. If he’d raped your daughter I’m all for it, but ■■■■ me dead, I hope daddy and son’s have a hard time shaving in the mirror from now until they rot.
I haven’t got any left to Erode post SAGA.
Then along comes Pres Dump, Scummo & Boris … I have zero faith in justice.
Thanks BM, I appreciate your reports from the trenches. Couldn’t the Courts remove some of this bias, say by allocating magistrates randomly and forcing the accused to stick with that Magistrate (say with one back-up)?
Separately I wonder if people can be looked after by mates as easily in the internet age. It is hard to make that video disappear. I think that helps fuel some outcry, even if it might be worse for a less-connected person.
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Magistrate shopping cuts both ways. Not a simple matter of defendant choice, can be a matter of timing of scheduling and individual magistrate workloads.
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I must remember to do my crimes during the magistrate busy period…
The system is stuffed if that’s a reason for doing these deals.
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I imagine the prosecution would have more influence in the timing of a case coming before a particular magistrate, beginning with the laying of charges, formal request for a hearing etc. Not to dismiss that both sides would be engaged in procedural games before a case gets listed.
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Clerk of Courts allocate cases to Magistrates
This is where a Lawyer with connections gets the edge
Is blitz a crime
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Correcto.
Also for the one that really gets me going check the recent convictions for people assaulting paramedics.
There is minimum jail term that has passed legislation, as well as huge public outcry. But our ■■■■■ justice system gives these idiots suspended sentence or similar.
If you have faith at all in any judicial system I hope you have connections to get the desired outcome. If you go through the channels as a normal citizen you have a slim chance.
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How many drug offenders (dealers and users) form part of the current prison population? Let’s use the case of Queensland as an example.
The QPC submitted a report to the Queensland Government on the 1 August 2019. The key findings were that the rate of imprisonment had increased by 44% between 2012 to 2018, 65% of prison terms involved non-violent offences, and that it costs $107K per year to house a prisoner.
Why do so many offenders charged and convicted of serious assaults face so little prison time?
We incarcerate drug offenders (dealers and users) for years, yet often allow seriously violent offenders to walk free or serve very little time. What this says to me is that our judicial system has a problem with classifying the severity of violent vs non-violent offences. The QPC report I mentioned above mentions that non-violent offenders are making up an increasingly larger proportion of the prison population (32% drug offences). Throw in theft, etc, and the figures climb to + 60%.
Now, you could argue that there are more drug-related offences than assault offences, however, that doesn’t explain why so many non-violent offences attract longer custodial terms than violent offences. One problem we have is that too many non-violent people are being incarcerated.
Remember the Ryan Wells case? July 2018. One-punch, unprovoked attack. Charged with recklessly causing serious injury. Initially released on bail - because the magistrate commented that there was little room for him to be detained. Caused a public outrage, with Premier Andrews weighing in. Worst bit is that he had form and had KO’d another person earlier on. Yet, was still out and about in the community. For all the outrage, he received…6 months. And appealed. Fortunately, he lost his appeal.
Do prisons make reoffending more likely?
Short custodial sentences have very little effect according to some research. Longer sentences reduce the probability of recidivism.
It’s pretty simple. Stop locking up non-violent offenders and use alternative options. Increase the length of custodial sentences for violent offenders. And…
Our current system focuses on criminals - not victims of crime. Start allowing the victims of crime (and their families) more say in sentencing & restitution.
Just IMO.
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I agree on the most part, however I take a harder stance on the drug side, especially if it is a quantity that is for sale and traffic. Personal use, I agree we should have a different path.
The drug one is interesting, I would like to see the incarcerated numbers that are re-offenders.
All in all, we need to stamp out the violence in our society, it’s not acceptable, and the judicial system does not match our society values.
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Agreed - it is a tricky one. The data above doesn’t break down users vs dealers. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that the majority are users. But, users can also be dealers. The trends don’t lie, though. Non-violent offenders are exploding our prison population.
Spot on. How?
I am generally in favour of mandatory minimum custodial sentences for violent crimes, although we must take into account the unique features of each particular case. This could include the severity of the assaults, provocation, etc. Walking free, after assaulting someone for no reason at all, is something I continue to struggle with.
On the drugs one, if someone’s on ice or PCP, and commits a serious assault, or worse, then throw away the ■■■■■■■ key. Take them out in the South Australian opal fields and blindfold them and tell them to find their way home.
I’m sick and tired of hearing people claim diminished responsibility because of drugs. The prime responsibility of the justice system is to protect the community.
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