Help and Support: Topic Research Guides: Criminal Law

Texts

Criminal Law texts are located in the 345s (Law Library, Level 3) and in the 364s (level 4).

Specific shelf/call/Dewey numbers for Criminal Law topics:
Causes of Crime and Delinquency - 364.2
Conspiracy - 345.231
Crime Prevention - 364.4
Criminal Offences - 364.1
Fraud - 345.263
Homicide - 364.152
Offenders - 364.3
Property Crime - 345.262
Sex Crimes - 364.153
Youth & Juvenile Delinquency - 362.7

Subject terms to search in the catalogue include: Criminal law -- Australia; Criminal law -- Western Australia; Criminal procedure -- Western Australia; Forensic sciences; Evidence, Expert.; Evidence Law -- Western Australia.

There are a number of major texts in this area with regular editions being released.
Check the catalogue for details of the current edition.

To source ebooks, search for a title or topic, then refine the search Results by Book/eBook, and Full Text Online.

Legal Problem Solving and Writing Guide

Commentary

Lexis+: Criminal Law Western Australia.
Expand chapters by clicking on the +, or use the quick find at the top of the screen and tick the sections you want to search, or search the whole publication.

Westlaw Australia (Legal Online): Commentaries – Criminal law

Ross on Crime – Note this is multi-jurisdictional – so make sure you focus on the WA notes
Federal Offences
Expert Evidence
Lawyers Practice Manual Western Australia
Uniform Evidence Law

Journals and Indexes

Indexes:

Westlaw Australia - Content Type: Secondary Sources - Index to Australian Cases and Journals
Lexis+ CaseBase - Index to Australian cases and journals
Westlaw UK - Index to UK journals

Full text Journals:

To find journals held or subscribed to by Murdoch Library, search the Library Catalogue for: Crime - Periodicals; Criminology - Periodicals

Statistics

Australian Bureau of Statistics – Click on statistics, then by topic - Crime and Justice

District Court – Click on publications and statistics

Australian Institute of Criminology Click on About Crime and Criminal Justice

UWA Faculty of Law - Reports and Statistics including data from the now defunct Crime Research Centre

Databases

Lexis+

Navigate to Lexis+ > Explore pod > Topics > Criminal Law

Westlaw Australia

Legislation

Western Australian Legislation - Western Australian legislation

Federal Register of Legislation Commonwealth legislation

Lexis+ CaseBase

Click on Advanced Search > Legislation
To search the criminal code section 409 type criminal code in the legislation title box then type 409 into the sec/reg/rule search box. From the Jurisdiction menu select Western Australia

Westlaw Australia - Digest

Use the Search results filters to Limit to Jurisdiction
Used Legislation Advanced Search more options to find Legislation Judicially Considered (Legislation cited (title)): type in criminal code and type the section number in the Legislation cited (provision) box.

AustLII

Go to the Western Australian consolidated acts, click to the relevant section of the legislation and click on [Noteup]. Remember WA legislation on AustLII is NOT always CURRENT (so be sure to check this) and is not the authorised version.

Case Law

Simple Instructions for How to Source a Case

Decisions of criminal cases on appeal in the Supreme Court are added to the unreported judgments databases on both Lexis Advance - unreported judgments 1987+ and more recently on Westlaw Australia

Remember jury trials do not produce judgments

AustLII

District Court selected Sentencing Remarks

Supreme Court selected Sentencing Remarks

Australian Criminal Reports (A Crim R) Westlaw Australia. To find specific cases, search by Citation using the format 149 A Crim R 542. The plain text will display, with links to the full text pdf version as well as to cases which have judicially considered this case – Citing References.

Western Australian Reports (WAR)

1983+ Westlaw Australia

1959 - 1982 only available in print in the Law Library

1898 - 1958 - Western Australian Law Reports (WALawRp) - AustLII

Government Resources

Western Australian Hansard

Western Australia: WA issues a combined Hansard for both the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council. Look in the subject index directly under the name of the Bill to find references to debates. WA Hansard is online from 1999/2000 onwards.
Current Bills information & EMs
Selected Explanatory Memoranda (only - Pre-2000) current
Note: Hansard is in the Law Library at GR 328.9402 A938 1 (Cth) and GR 328.94102 W527 3 (WA)