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LW566AB - Current Issues in Criminal Law and Practice

Offering Academic Unit
School of Law
Credit Units
1.5
Course Duration
One Semester
Pre-requisite(s)
LW5602A Law of Contact I or equivalent. Some courses under this intensive seminar may have specific pre-requisite. Students should refer to the individual course information for details.
Equivalent Course(s)
LW4662* Intensive Seminar (*This being an umbrella course, the course codes of seminars offered under this course will be labelled as LW4662A, LW4662B and so on.)
LW650E* Intensive Seminar (*This being an umbrella course, the course codes of seminars offered under this course will be labelled as LW650AE, LW650AB and so on.)
Course Offering Term*:
Semester A 2026/27

* The offering term is subject to change without prior notice
 
Course Aims
This course serves as an introduction for students to criminal law, procedure and theory and highlights current issues in these areas.
It begins with an overview of the players and process, from arrest to appeal and the key safeguards for a defendant and why they exist (Topic 1).
The human and procedural fallibilities that can and sometimes do arise are then highlighted, setting the scene for a more critical review, from person to process (Topic 2).
The following topical issues are contextualized and discussed: how judges are appointed, who can serve on a jury and the current shortage in judicial manpower (Topic 3); the amount of sentencing-related discretion prosecutors and judges have and whether it is justified (Topic 4); how mentally ill defendants are catered for and practical steps for representing them (Topic 5); and whether the current and proposed criminalization / de-criminalization of “vice” related offences are justified (Topic 6).

Assessment (Indicative only, please check the detailed course information)
Continuous Assessment: 100%
 
Detailed Course Information
LW566AB.pdf