LAWS 2301 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Margarine
Document Summary
Accountability: accountability of people in a crime, not only criminal held accountable. Consistency/certainty/discretion: different decisions, when to pull someone over, etc. Context of criminal law (where does it come from?) The production of criminal law (the roles of the constitution, parliament and the courts) Actors in the system- prosecution and defence. Assignment 3: exam (35%): short answer & multiple choice. Criminal law and the popular imagination construct what defines crime. The definition of crime changes all the time, things that used to be crimes are no longer (gay sex) There are a lot of areas of the criminal justice system where laws have been changing and progressing. Definition is contingent on historical/ social context. Definition of crime is shaped by power and powerlessness. There has been a tremendous growth of aboriginal women in custody. The people who are acting as judges are often elderly white males, people accused are usually young african or aboriginal males.