With people in prisons across the country being subjected to an “epidemic of prison lockdowns”, it is important to note that bare minimum safeguards exist in law, in most jurisdictions, that purport to guarantee at least some time ‘in the open air’ each day for people behind bars.

There is a lot of talk about human rights in prison – with things like ‘the Mandela Rules’, ‘the principle of equivalence’, and access to health care without discrimination.

Procedural fairness, often called “natural justice”, is a collection of rights, established under common law in Australia around the 1980s.

Generally, debts can be put into two categories. First, there are private debts (e.g. from a bank, a landlord, a car dealer, or ‘Afterpay’). Second, there are debts owed to the State (e.g. unpaid fines).

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The concern for those who are subjected to government decisions is that they often do not get to see the integrity of the information which was considered by the decision-maker and don’t get to check if it’s correct.

One of the most important aspects of self-advocacy in prison is to understand the rights of prisoners and the limitations of power of prison authorities.

New laws mean that immigration detention officers can now confiscate things like mobile phones, iPads and laptops, which were previously allowed in detention centres. If you’re facing time in immigration detention at the end of your sentence, this article gives some practical tips to prepare for the new rules before you go.

The criminal justice system deals with proof, not truth. The police and Crown present allegations; the defence rebuts them; the jury decides whether the Crown has met the required standard of proof. “Truth” and “innocence” are not part of the legal equation.

There are major differences between how offences in prisons are dealt with around Australia. These offences typically range from minor ones, such as keeping an untidy cell, to more serious ones and others that can become criminal charges.

Your security classification impacts which prison you are placed in and the level of security that is imposed on you.