Criminalisation of poverty and homelessness in Australia: A national study. The project aims to assess the policing and enforcement of public order crimes and related offences (e.g. obstruct/disobey police, breach of bail, and minor property offences) on individuals experiencing poverty and homelessness. The project endeavours to collect and analyse qualitative data from across Australia on the lived experience of people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, regarding the impact of crimin ....Criminalisation of poverty and homelessness in Australia: A national study. The project aims to assess the policing and enforcement of public order crimes and related offences (e.g. obstruct/disobey police, breach of bail, and minor property offences) on individuals experiencing poverty and homelessness. The project endeavours to collect and analyse qualitative data from across Australia on the lived experience of people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, regarding the impact of criminal laws and police powers concerned with presence in, and movement around public places. It will particularly focus on the impact on women, children and Indigenous peoples. The outcomes will seek to reduce the criminalisation of homeless people, by identifying law and policy reform options, and comparing their cost with that of 'business as usual'.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100945
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$334,000.00
Summary
Improved interviewing framework in sexual assault cases. This project aims to provide a better interview framework to be used by police in the investigation and possible prosecution of sexual assault allegations. The current interview framework used around the world was not specifically designed for adult sexual assault complainants and has been intensely criticised. This project will design a revised interview framework that meets the complex investigative and evidential requirements for these ....Improved interviewing framework in sexual assault cases. This project aims to provide a better interview framework to be used by police in the investigation and possible prosecution of sexual assault allegations. The current interview framework used around the world was not specifically designed for adult sexual assault complainants and has been intensely criticised. This project will design a revised interview framework that meets the complex investigative and evidential requirements for these interviews. This is expected to increase just outcomes and victim satisfaction with the criminal justice response.Read moreRead less
Making demonstrably reliable forensic voice comparison a practical everyday reality in Australia. To assist Australian law-enforcement agencies and courts in the process of the conviction of the guilty and the exoneration of the innocent, this project will develop and test a practical and demonstrably reliable forensic voice comparison system for use with Australian voices. This will allow forensic scientists to produce reliable strength of evidence statements for presentation in court using the ....Making demonstrably reliable forensic voice comparison a practical everyday reality in Australia. To assist Australian law-enforcement agencies and courts in the process of the conviction of the guilty and the exoneration of the innocent, this project will develop and test a practical and demonstrably reliable forensic voice comparison system for use with Australian voices. This will allow forensic scientists to produce reliable strength of evidence statements for presentation in court using the same evaluative framework as used with DNA. In addition, application of the system during criminal investigations may lead to the refocussing of investigations on other suspects, or may help leverage guilty pleas, thus saving substantial time and money.Read moreRead less
From genotype to phenotype: Molecular photofitting for criminal investigations. DNA found at crime scenes has the potential to provide a physical description of the donor in the same way as an eyewitness statement can be used to make a facial reconstruction. This project will investigate those physical traits which can be derived from the analysis of DNA present in samples collected in relation to criminal activities.
Legitimacy and effective policing responses to domestic and family violence. Domestic and Family Violence is a problem of epidemic proportions. This project aims to significantly improve police legitimacy and effectiveness by examining for the first time how capacity, police capability and conducive police culture operate individually and interact collectively to inform practice and survivor outcomes. Expected outcomes include the delivery of robust empirical evidence derived from new theoretica ....Legitimacy and effective policing responses to domestic and family violence. Domestic and Family Violence is a problem of epidemic proportions. This project aims to significantly improve police legitimacy and effectiveness by examining for the first time how capacity, police capability and conducive police culture operate individually and interact collectively to inform practice and survivor outcomes. Expected outcomes include the delivery of robust empirical evidence derived from new theoretical and methodological approaches on how these critical factors intersect collectively, and a comprehensive practice framework that identifies the tipping point of critical components for effective responses. The expected benefit will be improved policing responses to domestic and family violence nationally and internationally.Read moreRead less
Understanding and preventing youth sexual violence and abuse: an investigation of offender development, offending onset, and progression. Youth sexual violence and abuse poses serious threats to the health and well-being of Australian women and children. This project will investigate the development, onset and progression of youth sexual violence and abuse, and thereby contribute to its management and prevention.
Understanding the relationship between mental illness and offending: implications for crime prevention and the management of mentally ill offenders. The criminal justice system struggles to cope with the challenge of mentally ill offenders. Yet unfortunately increasing numbers of mentally ill people are coming into contact with police, the courts and correctional institutions. Using a life-course criminological perspective, this project aims to understand the links between mental illness and of ....Understanding the relationship between mental illness and offending: implications for crime prevention and the management of mentally ill offenders. The criminal justice system struggles to cope with the challenge of mentally ill offenders. Yet unfortunately increasing numbers of mentally ill people are coming into contact with police, the courts and correctional institutions. Using a life-course criminological perspective, this project aims to understand the links between mental illness and offending. Such an understanding will provide the criminal justice system with strategies for managing and treating mentally ill offenders. More importantly, such an understanding can be used to intervene in circumstances that result in mentally ill people offending, improving their well-being and increasing community safety.Read moreRead less
The non-fatal strangulation offence as a response to domestic violence. This project aims to review the application and experience of the non-fatal strangulation offence as a response to domestic violence. Through a mixed-methods design, the project will generate new knowledge about the operation of the non-fatal strangulation offence in practice. This is crucial given that many women escaping domestic violence report non-fatal strangulation from their past partner. Expected outcomes of the Proj ....The non-fatal strangulation offence as a response to domestic violence. This project aims to review the application and experience of the non-fatal strangulation offence as a response to domestic violence. Through a mixed-methods design, the project will generate new knowledge about the operation of the non-fatal strangulation offence in practice. This is crucial given that many women escaping domestic violence report non-fatal strangulation from their past partner. Expected outcomes of the Project include the development of law reform and policy recommendations to improve the operation of the offence, enhance service responses and develop professional education. This research will provide significant social and economic benefits through better understanding of the legal response to domestic violence.
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
A comparative analysis of youth punishment in Australia and the United Kingdom. This project is a comparative Australian and United Kingdom investigation of penal policy and the punishment of juvenile offenders. The research analyses the changing approaches to juvenile incarceration, particularly in the context of perceived effects on crime and the substantial public and social costs of incarceration.