The death of Veronica Nelson: Reconsidering the criminalisation of opiate use

Abstract

This article considers the preventable death of Veronica Nelson, an Aboriginal woman who had been denied bail and then suffered a terrible death in custody, which was the subject of recent bail reforms and a Coroner's Report that has recommended sweeping reforms to the management of people in custody. This article considers a reform that the Coroner and the Parliament did not, removing the criminal prohibition on opiate use.