The Serious Sex Offenders Act - passed by the NT parliament last night - allows for the attorney general or director of public prosecutions to apply to have the Supreme Court rule on whether serious sex offenders should remain in prison after they have completed their sentence, reports The Australian.
Popular sentiment
Russell Goldflam, president of the Criminal Lawyers Association of the Northern Territory, launched a scathing attack on the new law, stating: ‘You cannot construct a criminal justice system on the basis of popular sentiment, it doesn't work that way.’
According to the report, the NT has become the fifth jurisdiction to ratify laws that allow for serious sex offenders to be imprisoned for an indefinite period.
NT Chief Minister Adam Giles defended the laws, claiming that the government needed to reflect the views and concerns of people in the state.
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