Human Rights and the Criminal Justice System in Australia Essay

This essay examines the complex relationship between human rights and the criminal justice system in Australia. It highlights the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities within the system, often leading to mistreatment and lack of protection. The essay also addresses the overrepresentation of Aboriginal Australians in the criminal justice system, pointing out issues like prolonged isolation and potential abuses within detention centers. Furthermore, the essay touches on the ongoing efforts to improve the system, particularly concerning the rights of Aboriginal people and those with disabilities. The essay references the Australian Human Rights Commission's work and the country's role in the UN Human Rights Council, providing context to the current state of human rights within the Australian legal framework.

HUMAN RIGHTS AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE 1
Human Rights and Criminal Justice
Name
Institution
Date

HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE 2
Human rights are defined to be the ethical ideologies that designate positive standards of
human conduct and are recurrently secured as lawful rights in the community and the
international law. Criminal justice is the act of bringing justice to the individuals who have
committed crimes. The human rights and criminal justice system in Australia is not stable as it
should be. In spite of resilient tradition of shielding civil and political rights, Australia has
solemn unsettled human rights problems.
Individuals with the cases of disability in Australia do not enjoy equity before the law when
they come into connection with the criminal justice and the human rights system. This happens
in a manner that when the disable individuals are victims of a crime, either accused or a witness,
they are at a higher risk of being mistrusted or even belittled because the law do not protect
them. However, in the year 2013 the Australian Human Rights Commission carried out an
extensive ranging discussion to evaluate how individuals with incapacities and the persons who
work in the criminal justice system would deal with some of the barriers affecting those with
disabilities.
Aboriginal Australians are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. The population of
the prisons in the nation have most of the prisoners being those with disabilities. The inmates are
on the other side neglected and they face violence being that their periods of isolation are
prolonged. Research reveals that there are abuses in the juvenile confinement centers and
overbroad counterterrorism laws continue. In October, Australia was elected by the United
Nations member countries to the UN rights councils for the first time for a period of three years.
Currently there are efforts to improve the criminal justice system in Australia as it can do better,
specifically when it comes to aboriginals and those with disabilities.

HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE 3