The Law Report

Justice system failing to deal with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

10 December 2013

People suffering from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, also known as FasD, often have reduced impulse control and are simply too trusting. Others are violent and so cognitively impaired that they are unfit to stand trial. But when defendants with FASD come to the attention of the law, they often encounter a system that seems fundamentally unable to cope with the range of challenging behaviours that their disorder brings. As a result, many end up behind bars, in some cases for just minor offenses.

South African judge speaks out on life with HIV

3 December 2013

While millions of people have died from HIV/AIDS throughout Africa there still remains silence around the disease.

One man who has done an enormous amount to break down the stigma is Edwin Cameron, a judge of South Africa’s highest court. Justice Cameron is the only office holder in the African continent to acknowledge that he is living with HIV.

His career has been one that has tested the boundaries of activism and judicial duties and has thrown him into conflict with his country’s most powerful political forces.

This program was first broadcast on 7th May 2013

Digital wills

26 November 2013

If you tap out a will on your smart phone, will it be recognised under law? A recent decision of the Queensland Supreme Court on one such case adds clarity to an area of the law which is seeing an increased use of alternatives to paper-based testaments.

NZ program strives to give peace to sexual assault survivors

26 November 2013

An innovative program in New Zealand, called Project Restore, is providing a new avenue for victims of sexual assault to confront perpetrators and deal with the devastating impact of offending behaviour, and the associated anxiety that can trail survivors for years.