Each judgment is an exercise in risk management. Judges have to decide what risk is posed by having an alleged offender await trial in the community instead of prison.

The judiciary has expressed sorrow over cases in which alleged offenders on bail have reoffended.

It became the hallmark case for bail reform - the killer who murdered a toddler while on bail for strangling a woman and leaving her body in her car.

The decision to give Michael Curran bail was legally sound, says University of Auckland criminal law expert Warren Brookbanks.

Judges are pledging greater openness and better information for the public about the administration of justice in New Zealand to meet a rising clamour for accountability.

Judges are facing the biggest overhaul of accountability in decades, with the Cabinet considering legal changes that would compel the judiciary to publish annual reports, bring transparency to judicial appointments and attempt to stem criticism.

Swift analysis can help police try to stop crimes and even catch offenders in the act. Jared Savage investigates.

A victim advocacy group is refusing to remove the name and photo of a convicted paedophile from its website despite an accusation by the Human Rights Commission.

People who are forced to represent themselves in court as legal aid budgets are cut should not attempt to imitate the fast-talking lawyers they see on television.

A judge set the task of taking the handbrake off jury-trial delays says the problem is being caused by defendants who "are not in any hurry to get off to prison".

Struck-off Auckland lawyer Barry Hart was back in court today fighting to stop the mortgagee sale of one of his properties by the ANZ bank.

An Auckland lawyer has been censured and fined after his firm prepared an affidavit for a man who was about to retract evidence against one of his clients.

Police broadly do the best they can, but are continually let down by soft-touch judges and the mental health system.

A billion-dollar lawsuit against New Zealand's banks could have an impact on their bottom line profits but the banks' lobby group says it has doubts over the claim gaining traction.

The Pacific Blue airline pilot convicted of flying carelessly out of Queenstown made a series of mistakes that "seriously impacted" on safety margins, says a judge.

The chief judge of the District Court is finalising a proposal to subject New Zealand's 133 district court judges to performance reviews and greater public scrutiny.

The diary of one of the royal commissioners who found police had planted evidence against Arthur Allan Thomas focuses scepticism on the detective who led the murder inquiry.

A murderer serving a life sentence should be considered for laser treatment to remove his gang tattoos to help his community reintegration, says the Parole Board.

The man behind Mark Lundy's last-ditch bid for freedom says he is confident the Privy Council will quash the jailed killer's murder convictions.

A murderer sentenced to life in prison after beating his friend to death with a crowbar and dumping her body in the Waitakere Ranges has been denied parole.

Hanover Group Holdings has filed an appeal after it lost a High Court fight with insurance giant AIG over a policy worth up to $20 million.

The screech and hammer of tools returned to a Mainzeal construction site yesterday - but only as subcontractors were finally allowed to remove their equipment.

A leading forensic scientist is launching a charity for people who have been wrongly convicted.

Most boy racers seem to be learning their lesson, with only 127 convictions for illegal street racing being racked up by repeat offenders over the past three years.

The Law Commission will investigate the issues raised by lawyers researching jurors on the internet, then tailoring their arguments to help them win cases.

A love story that began at a murder trial drew to a poignant close this week.

The father of a victim of the Colorado cinema massacre yelled "rot in hell!" at the alleged gunman as a judge delayed the trial.