Hate crime laws and justice. This project will investigate how the criminal law and justice system can provide an effective but even-handed response to the problem of prejudice-related crime. It will make recommendations to assist in the formulation of law in this area and advance scholarship on crime and punishment.
Law, order and federalism in Australia. In a series of recent cases the High Court has emphasised the constitutional imperatives of judicial independence and impartiality in State court systems. These developments provide minimum human rights protections to individuals confronting criminal justice in the States. But what has not been considered is the cost of these developments. This project will investigate the uncertainty of the constitutional restrictions confronting State governments when re ....Law, order and federalism in Australia. In a series of recent cases the High Court has emphasised the constitutional imperatives of judicial independence and impartiality in State court systems. These developments provide minimum human rights protections to individuals confronting criminal justice in the States. But what has not been considered is the cost of these developments. This project will investigate the uncertainty of the constitutional restrictions confronting State governments when responding to law and order priorities, and the extent to which these have led to the frustration of policy development and experimentation across the Australian federation.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100418
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$374,906.00
Summary
Responsibility in criminal law. The principle of criminal responsibility lies at the heart of our criminal justice systems. This project provides a systematic analysis of criminal responsibility in the context of the NSW criminal law. It engages Australian scholarship in, and enhances Australia's contribution to, an important and growing field.
Examining the impact of remand and the utility of bail risk assessments. Australia has experienced soaring incarceration rates, driven by the pre-trial detention of unsentenced people pending trial, not by rising crime rates. The decision to remand a person into custody pending trial has implications for public safety and individual rights. Although the impact of remand has gained increasing importance given adverse coronial findings, no studies have examined the mental health and justice impact ....Examining the impact of remand and the utility of bail risk assessments. Australia has experienced soaring incarceration rates, driven by the pre-trial detention of unsentenced people pending trial, not by rising crime rates. The decision to remand a person into custody pending trial has implications for public safety and individual rights. Although the impact of remand has gained increasing importance given adverse coronial findings, no studies have examined the mental health and justice impacts of remand. This project seeks to examine the effect of remand on future crime, justice outcomes, and mental health outcomes. This project will also examine the factors associated with bail decisions and develop mathematical models designed to accurately forecast bail release outcomes and reduce demographic disparities. Read moreRead less
Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal sex-offenders in Australia: Assessing risk for practice and policy. A key priority of Australian governments is to improve community safety through reducing the risk of sex offenders re-offending after release from prison. This project will assess the validity of tools used to predict the risk of sexual offender recidivism and identify alternate risk assessment tools for Indigenous and non-Indigenous sex offenders.
Violence, Risk and Safety: The Changing Face of Australian Criminal Laws . Criminal laws have been radically transformed to keep Australians safe from violence. This project aims to complete the first national study of how and why criminal laws have proliferated and diversified so significantly. It will employ novel conceptual tools for investigating the 'drivers', ‘processes’ and ‘modalities’ of criminalisation, and complete socio-legal studies of sexual and domestic violence, homicide, alcohol ....Violence, Risk and Safety: The Changing Face of Australian Criminal Laws . Criminal laws have been radically transformed to keep Australians safe from violence. This project aims to complete the first national study of how and why criminal laws have proliferated and diversified so significantly. It will employ novel conceptual tools for investigating the 'drivers', ‘processes’ and ‘modalities’ of criminalisation, and complete socio-legal studies of sexual and domestic violence, homicide, alcohol-related violence, public disorder and the activities of criminal groups. The intended outcome is new knowledge about the causes and effects of innovation in criminal law-making. This research can benefit future public debate, policy development and law reform decisions about the role of criminalisation in enhancing safety.Read moreRead less
Preventing Water Theft in the Murray-Darling Basin. This Project aims to understand the complex interaction of socio-economic, legal and political factors that have enabled the theft of fresh water in the Murray-Darling Basin. By analysing the policies and regulations governing freshwater management, this project expects to generate new knowledge of the extent and types of water theft, offenders processed, penalties delivered, and the performance and operations of regulatory and enforcement agen ....Preventing Water Theft in the Murray-Darling Basin. This Project aims to understand the complex interaction of socio-economic, legal and political factors that have enabled the theft of fresh water in the Murray-Darling Basin. By analysing the policies and regulations governing freshwater management, this project expects to generate new knowledge of the extent and types of water theft, offenders processed, penalties delivered, and the performance and operations of regulatory and enforcement agencies. The expected outcomes include new research strategies for water theft prevention. This will benefit national security and community health by contributing to a sustainable and equitable supply of fresh water.Read moreRead less
Justice Reinvestment in Australia: conceptual foundations for criminal justice innovation. This project will examine the characteristics of Justice Reinvestment programs used in other countries which reduce spending on prisons and reinvest the savings in high crime communities to reduce crime and build community services. This study will analyse whether such programs can be developed in the Australian context.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101104
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$335,700.00
Summary
Dual child protection and youth justice clients: expanding the evidence base. This project investigates the phenomenon of children who cross over from statutory child protection systems into youth justice systems. The analysis will be draw data from Children’s Court files and international policy. It expects to generate new knowledge regarding the characteristics and trajectories of crossover children, and to improve understandings of how this group differs from children only involved with child ....Dual child protection and youth justice clients: expanding the evidence base. This project investigates the phenomenon of children who cross over from statutory child protection systems into youth justice systems. The analysis will be draw data from Children’s Court files and international policy. It expects to generate new knowledge regarding the characteristics and trajectories of crossover children, and to improve understandings of how this group differs from children only involved with child protection or youth justice systems. The findings will inform novel and effective approaches to preventing and responding to the drift of children from child protection into youth justice systems which will improve social and economic outcomes for young people and the broader community.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100679
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$376,761.00
Summary
Child maltreatment, youth and adult offending: Pathways and prevention. This project aims to investigate when, how and for whom experiences of child abuse and neglect lead to youth and adult offending. It expects to generate evidence needed to inform preventive interventions that can alter pathways from maltreatment to offending by identifying when to intervene, which factors to target, and for whom. Expected outcomes include a deeper understanding of child protection, developmental and school f ....Child maltreatment, youth and adult offending: Pathways and prevention. This project aims to investigate when, how and for whom experiences of child abuse and neglect lead to youth and adult offending. It expects to generate evidence needed to inform preventive interventions that can alter pathways from maltreatment to offending by identifying when to intervene, which factors to target, and for whom. Expected outcomes include a deeper understanding of child protection, developmental and school factors that influence life course offending pathways, and the translation of these findings to inform prevention. This should increase the ability to effectively design and target prevention initiatives that aim to improve outcomes for individuals, families and communities who bear the costs of maltreatment and crime.Read moreRead less