Investigating memory reliability in intoxicated witnesses of crime. Eyewitness testimony is a crucial piece of evidence for solving a crime. Inaccurate testimony leads to miscarriages of justice such as failed prosecutions or false convictions. Many witnesses and victims are affected by alcohol or other drugs during the crime. This project brings together a multidisciplinary team aiming to improve understanding of how intoxication with different substances affects the reliability of victim and w ....Investigating memory reliability in intoxicated witnesses of crime. Eyewitness testimony is a crucial piece of evidence for solving a crime. Inaccurate testimony leads to miscarriages of justice such as failed prosecutions or false convictions. Many witnesses and victims are affected by alcohol or other drugs during the crime. This project brings together a multidisciplinary team aiming to improve understanding of how intoxication with different substances affects the reliability of victim and witness memory accuracy. Crucially, crimes are frequently distressing; therefore the interaction between intoxication and stress urgently requires exploration. This project will significantly advance our understanding of key mechanisms behind drug effects on memory, and support fairer judicial outcomes for all. Read moreRead less
Threshold Decisions in Determining Whether to Prosecute Child Sexual Abuse. The objective of this project is new knowledge about the way police and prosecutors make decisions about the prosecution of child sexual assault that could be used to influence policy and practice. Few cases of child sexual abuse reported to the police ever go to court but recent research in New South Wales for the Royal Commission indicates that the proportion has declined sharply over the last decade or so. This projec ....Threshold Decisions in Determining Whether to Prosecute Child Sexual Abuse. The objective of this project is new knowledge about the way police and prosecutors make decisions about the prosecution of child sexual assault that could be used to influence policy and practice. Few cases of child sexual abuse reported to the police ever go to court but recent research in New South Wales for the Royal Commission indicates that the proportion has declined sharply over the last decade or so. This project aims to examine how police and prosecutors decide which cases proceed and why, and how they confer with each other as well as when and how they consult with complainants and their families. This project plans to also develop and test practice tools and principles for police and prosecutors with expected benefits for both them and the families involved.Read moreRead less
Early Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IE230100380
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,574.00
Summary
Enhancing comprehension of forensic science in the justice system. Failures to effectively communicate the accuracy and reliability of forensic evidence to courts can lead to unreliable convictions and miscarriages of justice. This project aims to understand how best to distil complex information about error and uncertainty in forensic expert opinion evidence for enhanced comprehension of forensic science in the justice system. Outcomes include evidence-based strategies for communicating error a ....Enhancing comprehension of forensic science in the justice system. Failures to effectively communicate the accuracy and reliability of forensic evidence to courts can lead to unreliable convictions and miscarriages of justice. This project aims to understand how best to distil complex information about error and uncertainty in forensic expert opinion evidence for enhanced comprehension of forensic science in the justice system. Outcomes include evidence-based strategies for communicating error and uncertainty in forensic science and an accessible online dashboard for visualising known error rates in forensic disciplines. The knowledge gained from the project will help forensic experts to calibrate how they present their conclusions to courts for improved comprehension and evaluation of forensic evidence.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100109
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$460,157.00
Summary
Sexual offence interviewing: Towards victim-survivor well-being and justice. This project aims to improve the way victim-survivors are interviewed in sexual offence cases by examining their experiences and perceptions of investigative interview techniques. It expects to generate new knowledge about interview techniques that can promote victim well-being and the disclosure of sensitive information during investigative interviews. Expected outcomes include new theoretical frameworks in the field o ....Sexual offence interviewing: Towards victim-survivor well-being and justice. This project aims to improve the way victim-survivors are interviewed in sexual offence cases by examining their experiences and perceptions of investigative interview techniques. It expects to generate new knowledge about interview techniques that can promote victim well-being and the disclosure of sensitive information during investigative interviews. Expected outcomes include new theoretical frameworks in the field of investigative interviewing and an innovative toolkit of victim-centred training resources to directly inform investigative interview policies and practices in sexual offence cases. Anticipated benefits include better victim experiences of investigative interviews and enhanced justice responses to sexual violence.Read moreRead less
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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100147
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,058.00
Summary
Child victims: Providing protection from re-victimisation and offending. This project aims to improve understanding of the impact of child abuse, neglect and exposure to domestic violence on young people’s future experiences of re-victimisation and offending. It expects to generate new evidence about the maltreatment experiences that increase risk of youth re-victimisation and offending, potential causal mechanisms and factors that might aggravate or buffer children from these harmful effects. E ....Child victims: Providing protection from re-victimisation and offending. This project aims to improve understanding of the impact of child abuse, neglect and exposure to domestic violence on young people’s future experiences of re-victimisation and offending. It expects to generate new evidence about the maltreatment experiences that increase risk of youth re-victimisation and offending, potential causal mechanisms and factors that might aggravate or buffer children from these harmful effects. Expected outcomes include increased knowledge to inform effective policy and interventions aimed at identifying at-risk children and meeting young people’s needs related to adverse legal outcomes. This should help improve public safety, reduce the economic impact of maltreatment and support vulnerable children to thrive.Read moreRead less
Evaluating the Quality of Scientific Research in Psychology. Buttressing public trust in science has never been more important, yet many sciences are experiencing a crisis of confidence. The current system of relying on journal prestige to calibrate our confidence in individual research findings has created corrupt incentives for scientists, and risks undermining public trust in science. Thousands of scientists and institutions around the world have indicated that research evaluation needs an ov ....Evaluating the Quality of Scientific Research in Psychology. Buttressing public trust in science has never been more important, yet many sciences are experiencing a crisis of confidence. The current system of relying on journal prestige to calibrate our confidence in individual research findings has created corrupt incentives for scientists, and risks undermining public trust in science. Thousands of scientists and institutions around the world have indicated that research evaluation needs an overhaul by signing the Declaration on Research Assessment. One solution is to create a public, transparent, and valid process for producing and sharing expert evaluations of individual papers. This project aims to launch this reform in psychology, and partner with PREreview to help it spread to other fields.Read moreRead less