Abstract Considerable research has been undertaken by historians to understand the meanings of prostitution as it evolved in the nineteenth century. Initially, commercial sex was considered in terms of criminality and deviance. Later studies, influenced by the seminal work of Walkowitz (1980), explored the role of local economies in shaping the lived experiences of prostitutes. This article in…
Abstract This article examines jurors’ views on sentencing from trials returning guilty verdicts where the offender has been sentenced to a wholly suspended sentence or where jurors have suggested a wholly suspended sentence as the most appropriate sentencing outcome. It challenges the poor public image of suspended sentences and provides further evidence that informed judgement on sentenci…
Abstract Although public assessments of the police have become the focal concern of a substantial amount of research efforts since the 1970s, a very small number of studies have analysed public opinions on the Taiwan police. Using survey data collected from three cities and two counties in 2010, this study expands the existing literature by assessing whether Taiwan residents’ perceptions ar…
Abstract: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of good behaviour bonds in reducing re-offending. Data on 19,478 individuals who received a good behaviour bond under section 9 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW) for their principal offence were examined. Propensity score matching techniques were used to match offenders who received a bond of less than 24 mont…
Abstract For successful prosecution of sex offences, defined elements that comprise each charge (such as the acts that occurred and offenders’ identities) need to be established beyond reasonable doubt. This study explored the potential benefit (from a prosecution perspective) of eliciting another type of evidence; evidence regarding the relationship between the victim and perpetrator th…
Abstract: The right to silence, or the privilege against self-incrimination, has long been recognised as an important procedural protection for the accused in the criminal process. The legislature of New South Wales, however, has introduced legislation to curtail that right by allowing for adverse inferences to be drawn at trial from the pre-trial failure of the accused to mention a fact late…