JUSTICE CAN SEE

Judge in trial by media (and politicians) over 'soft' sentencing [PDF download]

News of Judge Sarah Bradley's "soft" sentences for nine Indigenous offenders who pleaded guilty to raping a 10-year-old girl has made its way around the world, from BBC News to Aljazeera.
Justice Bradley, a District Court Judge in the Cairns region, would know much of that problem. In February 2006, she presented a considered paper, "Applying restorative justice principles in the sentencing of indigenous offenders and children" at the Sentencing Principles, Perspectives and Possibilities Conference in Canberra.

Restorative Justice, she said, "involves an emphasis on reparation, rehabilitation and reconciliation rather than punishment, condemnation and retribution. It is about healing rather than hurting and usually involves some sort of community participation and involvement." In the speech, she talked of the need for judges to consult with Indigenous community representatives, noted that it was desirous for judges to get to know the community they were dealing with and underlined the problems of an underfunded justice system.