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.
Determining elements that underpin learning of child-witness interviewing. This project aims to investigate the elements that underpin the learning of child witness interviewing skills. Preliminary indications from pioneering research suggest that positive change in interviewer behaviour is achievable. This project aims to extend that work on a larger scale. Expected outcomes include knowledge about the conditions under which skill acquisition is effective for different learners in disparate con ....Determining elements that underpin learning of child-witness interviewing. This project aims to investigate the elements that underpin the learning of child witness interviewing skills. Preliminary indications from pioneering research suggest that positive change in interviewer behaviour is achievable. This project aims to extend that work on a larger scale. Expected outcomes include knowledge about the conditions under which skill acquisition is effective for different learners in disparate contexts, and how skills can be maintained over the long term. The findings will guide the planning and implementation of interviewer training programs and contribute to improved interview quality and better justice outcomes for child complainants of abuse.Read moreRead less
The quality of prisons for Indigenous persons in custody: determining how prison impacts on culture, community life and recidivism. International experience with Indigenous prisoners suggests prison need not be the void it presently is for too many traditional Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. Through working in partnership with prisoners from primarily remote communities and two State jurisdictions, a nationally applicable measure of Indigenous prison quality will be developed. For the ....The quality of prisons for Indigenous persons in custody: determining how prison impacts on culture, community life and recidivism. International experience with Indigenous prisoners suggests prison need not be the void it presently is for too many traditional Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. Through working in partnership with prisoners from primarily remote communities and two State jurisdictions, a nationally applicable measure of Indigenous prison quality will be developed. For the first time, this research will provide insight into how Australian Indigenous culture and spirituality relates to prison quality and how prison can be more effectively applied in crime reduction. The ultimate national benefit is a contribution to better health and safety in remote Indigenous communities through custodial reform and reduced criminal justice costs through lower recidivism.Read moreRead less
Antisocial behaviour in young Australian adults: Social and economic influences. Antisocial behaviour is prevalent in Australia and imposes large social and economic costs. Currently, much of the crime prevention research has been conducted overseas. The findings of this study will provide important insights into the development of antisocial behaviour from childhood and adolescence through into young adulthood in the Australian context. By better understanding how factors such as unemployment, ....Antisocial behaviour in young Australian adults: Social and economic influences. Antisocial behaviour is prevalent in Australia and imposes large social and economic costs. Currently, much of the crime prevention research has been conducted overseas. The findings of this study will provide important insights into the development of antisocial behaviour from childhood and adolescence through into young adulthood in the Australian context. By better understanding how factors such as unemployment, alcohol-related entertainment, and sporting participation influence antisocial behaviour in young adulthood, prevention and early intervention programs can be developed to target specific subgroups. In this way spending on criminal justice systems can be reduced and a safer, more harmonious community can be fostered.Read moreRead less
Managing compliance with procedural justice: The role of motivational postures, legitimacy and emotion. Regulatory authorities exist to ensure that members of the public comply with their obligations under the law. At the same time, however, regulators should not exercise their authority in ways that result in the alienation of the public. Using social science methodology, this project will examine the role that procedurally fair regulation can play in promoting trust and confidence in authoriti ....Managing compliance with procedural justice: The role of motivational postures, legitimacy and emotion. Regulatory authorities exist to ensure that members of the public comply with their obligations under the law. At the same time, however, regulators should not exercise their authority in ways that result in the alienation of the public. Using social science methodology, this project will examine the role that procedurally fair regulation can play in promoting trust and confidence in authorities. The national and community benefits of this project will include ascertaining how greater levels of cooperation and compliance with regulatory decisions and laws can be facilitated; particularly among those who may feel disgruntled with their experiences with authority.Read moreRead less
Targeting early contact with the criminal justice system in young people. This project aims to identify who and why young people first come in contact with the criminal justice system and what determines the early course of contact. The project will focus on first police contact, as a victim, witness or offender, as a means of identifying young people at-risk of adverse life outcomes. It intends to build on the NSW Child Development Study, a large population-based intergenerational cohort, to de ....Targeting early contact with the criminal justice system in young people. This project aims to identify who and why young people first come in contact with the criminal justice system and what determines the early course of contact. The project will focus on first police contact, as a victim, witness or offender, as a means of identifying young people at-risk of adverse life outcomes. It intends to build on the NSW Child Development Study, a large population-based intergenerational cohort, to develop services and interventions aimed at preventing young people from becoming enmeshed in the criminal justice system.Read moreRead less
An early warning system for police workplace health and performance. This project aims to build a comprehensive organisational model of police workplace health and performance. This project answers the call for immediate organisational reform of police workplaces resulting from an Australian national study (2018) and Australian Senate Inquiry (2019). Police experience harm that must be addressed through organisational improvements, leading to more efficient policing. In the first study of its ki ....An early warning system for police workplace health and performance. This project aims to build a comprehensive organisational model of police workplace health and performance. This project answers the call for immediate organisational reform of police workplaces resulting from an Australian national study (2018) and Australian Senate Inquiry (2019). Police experience harm that must be addressed through organisational improvements, leading to more efficient policing. In the first study of its kind, this project will develop a practical early warning system that promotes strategic and front-line leadership capability of Australian police agencies in workplace health and performance. It will allow better identification of risk, resource allocation and tracking of these critical issues in policing.Read moreRead less
The influence of visible traffic enforcement on the incidence of other crime: Implications for intelligence-driven crime prevention. This project marks the first scientific investigation in Australia examining the potential for visible traffic enforcement to reduce other crime. It will: (i) examine the effect of routine traffic enforcement [deployed via traffic specific intellegence] on general crime rates (study 1); and (ii) determine whether the targeting of visible enforcement at crime "hots ....The influence of visible traffic enforcement on the incidence of other crime: Implications for intelligence-driven crime prevention. This project marks the first scientific investigation in Australia examining the potential for visible traffic enforcement to reduce other crime. It will: (i) examine the effect of routine traffic enforcement [deployed via traffic specific intellegence] on general crime rates (study 1); and (ii) determine whether the targeting of visible enforcement at crime "hotspots" can heighten this effect (study 2). The results of the studies will be examined in light of relevent theoretical perspectives pertaining to crime prevention, such as "broken windows" and deterence theories. The research complements a national move to increase intelligence-driven enforcement activities and will inform policing policy and crime prevention strategies worldwide.Read moreRead less
Whistling While They Work: Enhancing the Theory and Practice of Internal Witness Management in Public Sector Organisations. The protection of whistleblowers and other internal witnesses to corruption, misconduct and maladministration is a great unsolved problem in public sector governance. Involving 11 integrity institutions, this first national study of internal witness management will describe and compare organisational experience under varying public interest disclosure regimes across the Au ....Whistling While They Work: Enhancing the Theory and Practice of Internal Witness Management in Public Sector Organisations. The protection of whistleblowers and other internal witnesses to corruption, misconduct and maladministration is a great unsolved problem in public sector governance. Involving 11 integrity institutions, this first national study of internal witness management will describe and compare organisational experience under varying public interest disclosure regimes across the Australian public sector. By identifying and promoting current best practice in workplace responses to public interest whistleblowing, the project will use the experience and perceptions of internal witnesses and first- and second-level managers to identify more routine strategies for preventing, reducing and addressing reprisals and other whistleblowing-related conflicts.Read moreRead less
Optimising illicit dark net marketplace interventions. Optimising illicit dark net marketplace interventions. This project aims to develop and test a series of interventions to disrupt identify theft activities, and design an operational risk framework that will aid law enforcement agencies and organisations to timely and appropriately intervene in cyber space. The buying and selling of identity credentials via dark net forums is a significant and growing problem. This research— based on systems ....Optimising illicit dark net marketplace interventions. Optimising illicit dark net marketplace interventions. This project aims to develop and test a series of interventions to disrupt identify theft activities, and design an operational risk framework that will aid law enforcement agencies and organisations to timely and appropriately intervene in cyber space. The buying and selling of identity credentials via dark net forums is a significant and growing problem. This research— based on systems analyses of dark net forums, and bringing together researchers, practitioners, theories and methods from human factors, sociotechnical systems, criminology, and cyber security—is expected to increase understanding of the dark net and improve ways of disrupting identity theft and trading.Read moreRead less