Crown Prosecutor
Encyclopedia
Crown Prosecutors are the public prosecutors in the legal system of Australia
.
Crown Prosecutors represent the Crown
in right of the Commonwealth and in right of each State or Territory in criminal proceedings. Crown Prosecutors are appointed not elected and not public servants; they are private counsel briefed by the Director of Public Prosecutions
for particular cases. Their mixed caseload as prosecutor and defence counsel, with the consequent ability to see both sides, is widely seen as an advantage of the system.
Both the Commonwealth and the Australian States and Territories can make criminal laws under the Constitution of Australia
, so Crown Prosecutors deal with both state and federal offences. The typical Crown Prosecutor, often a Queen's Counsel
, will have extensive experience as defence counsel as well as prosecuting counsel.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Crown Prosecutors represent the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
in right of the Commonwealth and in right of each State or Territory in criminal proceedings. Crown Prosecutors are appointed not elected and not public servants; they are private counsel briefed by the Director of Public Prosecutions
Director of Public Prosecutions
The Director of Public Prosecutions is the officer charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world...
for particular cases. Their mixed caseload as prosecutor and defence counsel, with the consequent ability to see both sides, is widely seen as an advantage of the system.
Both the Commonwealth and the Australian States and Territories can make criminal laws under the Constitution of Australia
Constitution of Australia
The Constitution of Australia is the supreme law under which the Australian Commonwealth Government operates. It consists of several documents. The most important is the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia...
, so Crown Prosecutors deal with both state and federal offences. The typical Crown Prosecutor, often a Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, will have extensive experience as defence counsel as well as prosecuting counsel.
See also
There are similarities between the role of the Crown Prosecutor in Australia and the:- Procurator FiscalProcurator FiscalA procurator fiscal is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They investigate all sudden and suspicious deaths in Scotland , conduct Fatal Accident Inquiries and handle criminal complaints against the police A procurator fiscal (pl. procurators fiscal) is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They...
in ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the... - Crown ProsecutorCrown Prosecution ServiceThe Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...
in England and WalesEngland and WalesEngland and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom... - Crown AttorneyCrown attorneyCrown Attorneys or Crown Counsel are the prosecutors in the legal system of Canada.Crown Attorneys represent the Crown and act as prosecutor in proceedings under the Criminal Code of Canada...
s in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... - District AttorneyDistrict attorneyIn many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
s in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. - CrowniesCrowniesCrownies is an Australian television dramedy series that first screened on ABC1 in 2011. The series revolves around a group of solicitors fresh from law school, working with Crown Prosecutors or 'Crownies' who are the public prosecutors in the legal system of Australia, working for the Office of...
, a television series about Crown Prosecutors.