The Case Of The Palm Island Death - 1739 Words

The well-known case of the Palm Island death in custody in 2004, refers to the tragic death of Cameron Doomadgee, who is also referred to in most legal and media documents by his tribal name, Mulrunji. Mulrunji died on the 19th November, 2004 after being taken into custody by Senior Sergeant Christopher Hurley to the Palm Island watch house (Hurley v. Clements Ors (2008). The grounds for his arrest according to the court documents, was for being a public nuisance after swearing at Police Liaison Officer, Lloyd Bengaroo. Mulrinji was intoxicated at the time of his arrest, with post mortem results showing a blood alcohol concentration of 0.292% (Hurley v. Clements Ors (2008). The lengthy legal battle that ensued was attempting to†¦show more content†¦The court documents state that if the matter of swearing had proceeded to prosecution, whether the swearing had actually occurred would have been brought into question (Hurley v. Clements Ors (2008). Queensland statistics show that 2,792 Indigenous Australians were arrested for public order offences for the year 2015-2016, compared with 5,991 for non-Indigenous Australians. This is rather alarming given that only four per cent of people aged over ten years old identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in Queensland (ABS, 2017). The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports the age standardised offender rates per 100,000 for persons over the age of ten identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander for 2015-2016 is 9,576 compared with 1,882 for non-Indigenous Australians (ABS, 2017). Information in the court documents indicate that Mulrunji became agitated after being arrested, becoming violent once arriving at the police station and subsequently assaulting Senior Sergeant Hurley while being taken from the paddy wagon into the police station. Senior Sergeant Hurley’s discretionary decision to arrest Mulrunji for a public nuisance offence had dire consequences resulting in a viol ent altercation and a subsequent death. It is an unfortunate reality that Indigenous Australians are over-represented in our criminal justice system and are being arrested at disproportionate rates compared to non-IndigenousShow MoreRelatedThe Criminal Equity Framework1547 Words   |  7 Pages(O’Neill Handley, 1994). The Doomadgee case: The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) (1987–1991) was an Illustrious Commission selected by the Australian Government in October 1987. To study and report on the fundamental social, social and lawful issues behind the passings in the guardianship of Native individuals and Torres Strait Islanders, in the light of the abnormal state of such passings (Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, 2016). Mulrunji (the perishedRead MoreBiblical Allusions: Golding ´s Lord of the Flies884 Words   |  4 Pagesand characters to allude to the Bible. Out of the many references, four significant biblical allusions – title of the novel, Simon, beast, and the island itself – emphasize Golding’s theme inherent sin and evil in mankind. The title, Lord of the Flies, refers to the pig’s head that was placed on a spear and worshiped by the young boys on the island. In other words, the boys have chosen to believe in a fake deity, much like the people of Israel, who built golden calves to worship. And along withRead MoreLord Of The Flies Character Analysis947 Words   |  4 PagesAustin Curtis Ms. Tantlinger Honors English 10 2 January 2018 Title In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, a group of children are deserted on an uncharted island due to the conflict of a world war. As the boys live on the island, they begin to have conflicts among themselves, and Jack, an older boy on the island, begins to become power-hungry. Jack falls far from the rules of society as he is overcome by the power of the mask, Jack also conceals his humanity by using his war mask; GoldingRead MoreWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies1613 Words   |  7 PagesWilliam Golding: Lord of the Flies Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Group. 1954. Print. William Golding’s acclaimed novel, Lord of the Flies, follows the adventure of a clan of British adolescents stranded on a coral reef island. With no adults left alive, the diverse personality’s between the main characters Ralph, Piggy, Jack, and Simon struggle with the freedom from authority. This tale begins when Ralph, a fair haired twelve year old, awakes after the fatal plane crashRead MoreCrj100 Essay1312 Words   |  6 Pagesa criminal trial is going to Trail. 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William Golding s Lord of The Flies explains how without order, unity, and rules a society will resort to chaos/savagery and becomesRead MoreThe Mind Of Humans By William D. Hawkins1201 Words   |  5 Pageswas at the Tarawa atoll on Betio Island, which took place from November 20th through the 23rd of 1943. Hawkins waged what was called â€Å"one of the most furious one-man army assaults on enemy positions in the history of modern warfare.† Preparatory teams sent to the island failed to remove enemy machine gun nests, and left Hawkins and the rest of his unit in grave danger. Hawkins was injured upon landing by shrapnel, but still led his platoon into a forest of palms. Over the next day and a half, HawkinsRead MoreEssay on Al Capone Biography1495 Words   |  6 Pagesbecause Capone was bad for Thompson’s political image. So the mayor hired a new police chief to run Capone out of the city, and he personally saw Capone out of the city. 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TheyRead MoreThe Role Of The Oil Boom2063 Words   |  9 Pagesthe east, the emirate was expanding well on the pearl trade and small caravan businesses. Despite having a lack of natural resources such as water and fertile soil, the Gulf region in general was rich in natural pearls. However when the unfortunate death of their ruler, Sheikh Zayed, happened in 1909, power and prosperity declined due to the collapse of the pearling industry. In addition to that, the economy in the 1930s experienced The Great Depression, the deepest economic downturn that happened