Director of Public Prosecutions (New South Wales)

New South Wales Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Agency overview
Formed 13 July 1987 (1987-07-13)
Type Department
Jurisdiction New South Wales
Headquarters 175 Liverpool Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Minister responsible
Agency executive
Parent Agency New South Wales Department of Attorney General and Justice
Key document

The New South Wales Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) is an independent prosecuting service and government agency within the portfolio of the Attorney General of New South Wales.[1] Of all prosecuting services in Australia, the ODPP has the largest caseload, staff, and budget.[2]

The current Director of Public Prosecutions is Lloyd Babb SC.[3]

History

The ODPP was established by the Director of Public Prosecutions Act 1986 (NSW) and began its operations on 13 July 1987.[1]

Directors

Ordinal Director Period Notes
1 Reg Blanch QC 1987 – 1994 [4][5]
2 Nicholas Cowdery AM QC 1994 – July 2011 [6]
3 Lloyd Babb SC July 2011 – date [7]

Deputy Directors

Deputy Director Period
Rod Howie QC July 1987 – May 1993
Unknown 1993 – 1997
Martin Blackmore SC 1997 – March 2002
Greg Smith SC April 2002 – November 2006
David Frearson SC November 2007 – 2 March 2009
Donna Woodburne SC 4 June 2009 – January 2011
Christopher Maxwell QC (acting) January 2011 – February 2012
John Pickering SC February 2012 – May 2016
Kara Shead SC May 2016 – date
Deputy Director Period
Unknown 1987 – 1999
Roy Ellis November 1999 – 11 August 2003
Luigi Lamprati SC December 2003 – October 2011
David Arnott SC (acting) October 2011 – November 2011
Keith Alder November 2011 – date

Controversies

Within six months prior to March 2013, two lawyers from the ODPP have committed suicide involving incidents of workplace bullying.[8]

Function

In general, it is for the prosecution, not the courts, to decide who is prosecuted and for what offences. It is the prosecution's sole discretion to shape its charges, and as a result, to influence what may follow in the trial.[9] The functions of the Director of Public Prosecutions, per the Director of Public Prosecutions Act 1986 (NSW) (i.e., the DPP Act), include:[10][11]

Furthermore, under the DPP Act, the Director has similar functions with regard to:[10]

Section 21 of the DPP Act provides that the Director may appear in person or may be represented by a counsel or solicitor in any proceedings which are carried on by the Director.[10]

The functions of the Solicitor for Public Prosecutions are prescribed in section 23 of the DPP Act. These are:[10]

The functions of Crown Prosecutors are set out in section 5 of the Crown Prosecutors Act 1986. They include:[10][11]

Organisation

The ODPP consists of:[1]

The Director, Deputy Directors, the Crown Prosecutors, and the Solicitor for Public Prosecutions are statutorily appointed office holders under the DPP Act.[1]

The relationship between the Director, the Crown Prosecutors, and the Solicitor, is somewhat analogous to that which exists between client, counsel, and solicitor in the private sector. The Corporate Services Division provides financial, personnel, information technology, and property services to the other three groupings in the ODPP.[1]

The ODPP Head Office, where the Director, the two Deputy Directors, and their support staff are based, located at 175 Liverpool Street.[1] In Western Sydney, the ODPP has three offices, located at Parramatta, Penrith, and Campbelltown.[1] In regional New South Wales, the ODPP has six offices, located at Lismore, Newcastle, Gosford, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo and Wollongong.[1]

Each of the ODPP offices is staffed by Crown Prosecutors, solicitors, and administrative officers.[1] Each office conducts prosecutions in the relevant Local, District, and Supreme Courts.[1] Witness Assistance Service officers, who are generally social workers or psychologists, are also located in each Office.[1] The officers of this Service provide assistance, support, referral to support agencies, and information to civilian prosecution witnesses.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "ANNUAL REPORT 2012/2013" (PDF). Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, NSW. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  2. ↑ Johns, Rowena (2001). "Prosecution reports: Independence and Accountability of the Director of Public Prosecutions: A Comparative Survey".
  3. ↑ Jacobsen, Geesche; Patty, Anna (25 June 2011). "DPP chief vows to be independent, opinionated". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media.
  4. ↑ Whitbourn, Michaela (6 August 2014). "Retiring NSW District Court chief judge Reg Blanch takes aim at media-driven policy and 'unfair' mandatory sentences". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  5. ↑ Crabb, Annabel (12 March 2003). "NSW judge candidate for international court". The Age. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  6. ↑ "Controversial DPP Cowdery to quit his job for life". The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 April 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  7. ↑ AAP (24 June 2011). "Lloyd Babb SC confirmed as state's new DPP". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  8. ↑ Alexander, Harriet (23 March 2013). "DPP warns lawyers: stop bullying one another or else". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media.
  9. ↑ Maxwell v The Queen (1996) 184 CLR 501 Austlli
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Director of Public Prosecutions Act 1986 (NSW)
  11. 1 2 Cowdery, Nicholas (August 2009). "The DPP's Decision to Prosecute" (PDF). Bar Practice Course. New South Wales Bar Association.
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