On May 21st, RSSS, in collaboration with POLIS: The Center for Social Policy Research, hosted the event Criminal Sentencing in Australia'. Our keynote speaker was Professor Carissa Hessick from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Professor Hessick has been a visiting scholar at POLIS, conducting research on sentencing in Australia as a part of a Fulbright Fellowship. She was joined by Justice Belinda Baker of the ACT Supreme Court.

Professor Hessick considered the unique Australian legal landscape surrounding judicial discretion at sentencing, while Justice Baker offered insights from her practical experience on the bench. RSSS colleagues, students, and members of the ACT legal community all participated in a lively discussion.