Principles of Justice
This principle ensures all individuals are treated fairly and impartially by the legal system.
What is fairness?
This is the lowest court in the Victorian hierarchy.
What is the Magistrates' Court?
This body prosecutes serious criminal offences in Victoria.
What is the Office of Public Prosecutions (OPP)?
This right ensures an accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
What is the presumption of innocence?
What is imprisonment?
This principle guarantees that everyone has the same opportunity to access legal representation and processes.
What is access?
This court hears summary offences and committal proceedings.
What is the Magistrates' Court?
This institution provides free legal advice and representation to eligible Victorians.
What is Victoria Legal Aid?
This right allows an accused person to have their case heard without unreasonable delay.
What is the right to be tried without unreasonable delay?
This sanction requires the offender to pay a sum of money.
What is a fine?
This principle means that all people are treated equally before the law.
What is equality?
This division of the Supreme Court hears serious indictable offences.
What is the Trial Division?
A type of independent legal assistance service provider which assists vulnerable people (not VLA).
What is a community legal centre?
This right guarantees an accused person can have legal representation during trial.
What is the right to legal representation?
When imposing a sanction, the judge's intention is to discourage the offender and others from committing the same offence.
This is an example of how fairness is upheld in a criminal trial.
What is providing an impartial judge and jury?
This court hears appeals from the County Court and Supreme Court Trial Division.
What is the Court of Appeal?
Determining the guilt of the accused
What is a role of the jury?
This person acts as a referee in a criminal trial.
What is a judge?
This type of order allows offenders to live in the community while being rehabilitated.
This is how equality and access can sometimes conflict in practice.
What is when disadvantaged groups have equal rights in theory but lack resources to access legal representation?
The principle by which lower courts must follow decisions made by higher courts.
What is the doctrine of precedent?
This legal service is funded by the government to provide legal assistance to accused persons.
What is Victoria Legal Aid?
This right applies to all trials for indictable offences in the County and Supreme Courts in Victoria
What is the right to trial by jury?
Factors that reduce the severity of a criminal sanction.
What are mitigating factors?