David Brown

Harriet Wran was sentenced to four years in prison with a non-parole period of two. AAP/David Moir

August 18, 2016

When punitive media intrude on the courts’ role, can justice be served?

The internet and social media have expanded the potential for more enduring forms of non-judicial punishment by way of continued denigration, humiliation and abuse.

Long Bay Correctional Centre was dubbed the ‘Long Bay Hilton’ by ‘tough on crime’ advocates whose campaigns helped fill prison cells to overflowing. Wikimedia Commons/J Bar

April 21, 2015

State of imprisonment: prisoners of NSW politics and perceptions

David Brown, UNSW

Most crime in NSW has been declining since the early 2000s, and the state’s current murder rate is half what it was in 1988. So why is the NSW prison population growing?

For acting on a NSW Law Reform Commission review of bail laws, Greg Smith was pilloried for having gone from ‘Rambo’ in opposition to ‘marshmallow soft’ on crime as attorney-general. Daily Telegraph

August 14, 2014

Is rational law reform still possible in a shock‑jock tabloid world?

David Brown, UNSW

The New South Wales government’s decision to “review” and amend the new Bail Act after only one month in operation illustrates worrying trends in public policymaking relevant to all jurisdictions. It raises…

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When punitive media intrude on the courts’ role, can justice be served?

State of imprisonment: prisoners of NSW politics and perceptions

Is rational law reform still possible in a shock‑jock tabloid world?

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