Submissions to Criminal Justice Consultation Paper Published

Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
November 24, 2016

http://childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/2016-11/submissions-to-criminal-justice-consultation-paper

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has published more than 70 submissions received from a range of individuals and organisations in response to its consultation paper on criminal justice issues.

The consultation paper was released on 5 September this year. It elicited responses from survivors, advocacy and support groups, legal practitioner representative bodies, Directors of Public Prosecutions, academics and governments.

Royal Commission CEO Philip Reed said the large number of submissions reflected the importance the community placed on improving the criminal justice system.

“The Royal Commission has long been aware of the need to better understand the contemporary response of the criminal justice system to institutional child sexual abuse and identify ways it can be made more effective,” Mr Reed said.

“These submissions will be instrumental in informing our final recommendations on criminal justice.”

The Royal Commission has invited a range of groups and individuals to speak to their submissions as part of a further Royal Commission public hearing on criminal justice issues, commencing on Monday 28 November.

The consultation paper covered issues such as joint trials, admissibility of an accused’s ‘bad character’ and matters such as police communication and their response to reporting of child sexual abuse, prosecution responses, delays and sentencing.

The consultation paper and its submissions form an important part of the Royal Commission’s wider work in criminal justice, which include an issues paper, public roundtables, research and a previous public hearing.