Community Capacity Building in Child Protection Through Responsive Regulation. Neglect and abuse of children is a critical issue in this country. The number of cases reported to state authorities is increasing. Recent estimates show that a child is abused every 2 minutes in Australia. This research develops an innovative approach that protects children while promoting greater support for families. By harnessing and building community capacity this approach has the potential to make more efficien ....Community Capacity Building in Child Protection Through Responsive Regulation. Neglect and abuse of children is a critical issue in this country. The number of cases reported to state authorities is increasing. Recent estimates show that a child is abused every 2 minutes in Australia. This research develops an innovative approach that protects children while promoting greater support for families. By harnessing and building community capacity this approach has the potential to make more efficient use of existing resources through earlier intervention and improved cooperation with families. This project aims to reduce the incidents and harm caused by child abuse and neglect in ways that strengthen communities, while enhancing the integrity of child protection agencies.Read moreRead less
Policing the Neighbourhood: Australian Police Peace-keeping, Capacity-building, and Development in Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Australia's involvement in policing offshore is growing rapidly. Timor-Leste and the Solomon Islands, and shortly, Papua New Guinea, feature in these developments. The Australian Federal Police is now a key player in regional security and development. This study takes stock of this trend. Through three case studies, the project examines the grou ....Policing the Neighbourhood: Australian Police Peace-keeping, Capacity-building, and Development in Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Australia's involvement in policing offshore is growing rapidly. Timor-Leste and the Solomon Islands, and shortly, Papua New Guinea, feature in these developments. The Australian Federal Police is now a key player in regional security and development. This study takes stock of this trend. Through three case studies, the project examines the grounds for providing assistance, the different cultural and political contexts in which assistance is taking place, the forms of that assistance, and the achievements and shortcomings of previous and current police assistance missions. It will also provide an analytical framework for future engagements of this nature.Read moreRead less
Sentencing and public confidence: public perceptions and the role of the public in sentencing practice and policy. Public confidence is critical to the effective operation of the criminal justice system. This project will generate much needed current national data on public attitudes about sentencing. It examines avenues for the incorporation of public opinion into sentencing policy and processes, and provides accurate measures of the factors involved. The results will enable governments to res ....Sentencing and public confidence: public perceptions and the role of the public in sentencing practice and policy. Public confidence is critical to the effective operation of the criminal justice system. This project will generate much needed current national data on public attitudes about sentencing. It examines avenues for the incorporation of public opinion into sentencing policy and processes, and provides accurate measures of the factors involved. The results will enable governments to respond to periodic crises in public confidence in constructive and informed ways, rather than act in response to law and order rhetoric, linked with harsh sentencing regimes, and costly and potentially unnecessary increases in incarceration rates.Read moreRead less
A comparative analysis of gambling regulation in Australian states and territories. This project will be the first systematic and comprehensive evaluation of Australian gambling regulation. Research is in response to incidents of regulatory failure, fragmentation and inconsistency in the gambling regulatory frameworks of states/territories and calls by the Productivity Commission for rigorous and independent review. It will develop an evaluative framework to analyse current gambling regulations, ....A comparative analysis of gambling regulation in Australian states and territories. This project will be the first systematic and comprehensive evaluation of Australian gambling regulation. Research is in response to incidents of regulatory failure, fragmentation and inconsistency in the gambling regulatory frameworks of states/territories and calls by the Productivity Commission for rigorous and independent review. It will develop an evaluative framework to analyse current gambling regulations, performances and capacities in the face of challenges such as crime, problem gambling and cross-jurisdictional gambling. Research will allow identification of Australian and international benchmarks for gambling regulations that prevent crime and encourage social responsibility.Read moreRead less
Restorative Justice and the Life Course: Victims and Offenders in Longitudinal Perspective. Reduction of crime and its effects is a major priority for Australia. Restorative justice represents one of the most promising policy innovations currently available for prevention of repeat offending and for benefiting victims of crime. Apart from the justice dimension, it has much wider community application from school bullying to peace building after civil war. Our study will provide knowledge about i ....Restorative Justice and the Life Course: Victims and Offenders in Longitudinal Perspective. Reduction of crime and its effects is a major priority for Australia. Restorative justice represents one of the most promising policy innovations currently available for prevention of repeat offending and for benefiting victims of crime. Apart from the justice dimension, it has much wider community application from school bullying to peace building after civil war. Our study will provide knowledge about its actual economic and social benefits (or adverse effects) - nationally and at the community level. This knowledge is vital to answer the questions: "Is it effective? Should it play a major role in our society?" as well as identifying areas in which current use can be improved to the benefit of victims of crime and the broader community.Read moreRead less
The Social History of Punishment in Modern China. The project will investigate the cultural and historical roots of the political and social practices of punishment in modern Chinese history in order to answer the question of why harsh punitive measures have been so readily used and accepted. The subject has never been adequately researched. Extensive use will be made of interviewing, archival materials, and a wide range of other documentation. It is important to comprehend from an historical pe ....The Social History of Punishment in Modern China. The project will investigate the cultural and historical roots of the political and social practices of punishment in modern Chinese history in order to answer the question of why harsh punitive measures have been so readily used and accepted. The subject has never been adequately researched. Extensive use will be made of interviewing, archival materials, and a wide range of other documentation. It is important to comprehend from an historical perspective the past and present Chinese mentality regarding punitiveness and law-and-order in order to come to grips with human rights issues and China's legal system.Read moreRead less