Legal Syllabus

• Nature of crime:

  • Meaning of crime
  • Elements of crime: actus reus, mens rea
  • Strict liability offences
  • Causation
  • Categories of crime including offences against the person, offences against the sovereign, economic offences, drug offences, driving offences, public order offences, preliminary crimes
  • Summary and indictable offences
  • Parties to a crime
  • Factors affecting criminal behaviour
  • Crime prevention techniques
• Criminal investigation process:

  • Police powers
  • Reporting crime
  • Investigating crime: gathering evidence, use of technology, search and seizure, warrants
  • Arrest and charge, summons, warrants
  • Bail or remand
  • Detention and interrogation, rights of suspects
  • Powers of police
  • Reporting and investigating crime
  • Effectiveness of criminal investigation process
• Criminal trial process:

  • Court jurisdiction
  • Adversary system
  • Legal personnel
  • Pleas, charge negotiation
  • Legal representation
  • Burden and standard of proof
  • Use of evidence, including witnesses
  • Defences to criminal charges
  • Role of juries
  • Role of courts
  • Adversary system
  • Legal representation
  • Defences to criminal charges
  • Jury system
  • Effectiveness of criminal trial process
• Sentencing and punishment:

  • Statutory and judicial guidelines
  • Purposes of punishment
  • Factors affecting sentencing decision
  • Role of the victim in sentencing
  • Types of penalties
  • Alternative methods of sentencing
  • Post-sentencing considerations
  • Implications of post-sentencing considerations
  • Effectiveness of sentencing and punishment
• Young offenders:

  • Age of criminal responsibility
  • Rights of children when questioned or arrested
  • Children's Court procedures and operation
  • Penalties for children
  • Alternatives to court
  • Issues surrounding age of criminal responsibility
  • Treatment of young offenders
  • Effectiveness of criminal justice system with young offenders
• International crime:

  • Categories of international crime
  • Dealing with international crime
  • Measures used to deal with international crime
  • Effectiveness of legal systems in dealing with international crime
• Nature and development of human rights:

  • Definition of human rights
  • Recognition of human rights over time
  • Major human rights documents
• Promoting and enforcing human rights:

  • State sovereignty
  • Roles of international community
  • Roles in Australia
  • Incorporation of human rights into domestic law
  • Effectiveness of Australian responses
  • Arguments for and against a Charter of Rights for Australia
• Contemporary issue illustrating promotion and enforcement of human rights:

  • Genocide
  • Treatment of refugees
  • Child soldiers
  • Abuse of children
  • Torture
  • Investigate and evaluate legal and non-legal responses
• Nature of family law:

  • Concept of family law
  • Legal requirements of marriage
  • Alternative family relationships
  • Legal rights and obligations of parents and children
  • Adoption
• Responses to problems in family relationships:

  • Divorce
  • Legal consequences of separation
  • Dealing with domestic violence
  • Roles of courts, dispute resolution, non-government organisations, media
  • Effectiveness of law in protecting victims of domestic violence
• Contemporary issues concerning family law:

  • Recognition of same-sex relationships
  • Changing nature of parental responsibility
  • Surrogacy and birth technologies
  • Care and protection of children
  • Investigate and evaluate responses to these contemporary issues