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Contested Summary Hearings: Procedure and Role of Counsel Pleading not guilty to a criminal charge is a right afforded to every person in our community. A person charged with committing a crime is entitled to plead not guilty no matter...
Spent Convictions – 10 Frequently Asked Questions Do you have an old conviction that is holding you back from a new job or career? Legislation introduced in Victoria last year finally makes it possible to have old convictions removed from...
Pregnancy, Children, and Prisons Pregnant women and mothers of infant children who are being sentenced for criminal offences pose a particularly challenging and emotive set of factual circumstances. There are any number of reasons why women may be sentenced for...
Criminal Law / Practice and Procedure / Sentencing
by Sandy A · Published Updated August 16, 2021 · Last modified Updated August 30, 2021
What is a Community Corrections Order? A community corrections order (‘CCO’) is a sentencing order that a Judge or Magistrate can impose. It is one step below prison and one step above a fine. It can still be a harsh...
Criminal Justice / Criminal Law / Sentencing
by Sandy A · Published Updated April 8, 2021 · Last modified Updated June 4, 2021
Standard Sentences: What They Mean and How They are Applied The Standard Sentence Scheme was introduced in Victoria by the Sentencing Amendment (Sentencing Standards) Act 2017 (Vic) in February 2018. This amendment essentially abolished the former Sentencing Amendment (Baseline Sentences)...
Court Process / Criminal Law / Sentencing
by Staging 4 · Published Updated February 1, 2021 · Last modified Updated April 13, 2021
How Sentencing Actually Works Versus How the Public Think Judges Get It Wrong Generally, the police or the Director of Public Prosecutions are responsible for determining what criminal charges a person will face based on available evidence. Statistics suggest that...
Criminal Justice / Sentencing / Sex Offences
by Staging 4 · Published Updated June 24, 2020 · Last modified Updated January 13, 2021
Written by Sophie Parsons, Senior Associate, In-House Counsel, Accredited Criminal Law Specialist, Doogue + George Defence Lawyers The Federal parliament has introduced legislation addressing child sexual offending known as the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Sexual Crimes Against Children and Community Protection...
Criminal Justice / Criminal Law / Sentencing
by Staging 4 · Published Updated June 19, 2020 · Last modified Updated May 25, 2021
A Rude Awakening – Sentencing in the Children’s Court Vs Sentencing in the Adult Jurisdiction It is sadly commonplace in my day to day practice as a criminal solicitor to appear for people in the Children’s Court, accused of crimes...
Criminal Justice / Criminal Law / Sentencing
by Staging 4 · Published Updated May 25, 2020 · Last modified Updated May 25, 2021
Written by Amelia Ramsay, Associate, Doogue + George Defence Lawyers Recently, the age published an article bearing the headline, “No jail for ‘exemplary’ woman who sped through stop sign, killed four.” This kind of inflammatory reporting consistently sends people to...
by Sandy A · Published Updated April 7, 2020 · Last modified Updated December 14, 2021
COVID-19 and the courts: How are courts responding to COVID-19 in their decisions? The outbreak of COVID-19 (‘coronavirus’) has radically changed our lifestyle in a way that we could never have predicted. It has indiscriminately stunned every aspect of our...
