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
A Future Beyond the Wall: Improving Post-release Employment Outcomes for People Leaving Prison. Engaging in meaningful work has been shown to reduce re-offending by ex-prisoners, but few prison releasees internationally or in Australia gain employment, and successful pathways to employment for this group are poorly researched and understood. This study aims to gather and analyse, for the first time, comparative data from Australian jurisdictions and employment agencies on the relationship betwee ....A Future Beyond the Wall: Improving Post-release Employment Outcomes for People Leaving Prison. Engaging in meaningful work has been shown to reduce re-offending by ex-prisoners, but few prison releasees internationally or in Australia gain employment, and successful pathways to employment for this group are poorly researched and understood. This study aims to gather and analyse, for the first time, comparative data from Australian jurisdictions and employment agencies on the relationship between in-prison and post-prison vocational education and employment programs, employment and recidivism. It aims to identify effective elements, strategies, program and policy directions in offender training and employment. This is a unique partnership amongst key academics in the field, peak national bodies, correctional and employment organisations.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.
Informing intervention responses to violent offenders through data linkage. The project aims to capitalise on new data access capacity to improve knowledge on violent offender pathways and criminogenic needs, such as acquired brain injury, to reduce offending and re-offending. Violence is a major social and health issue nationally and internationally. While there has been substantial investment in treatment/prevention campaigns, rates of violence remain high. Using diverse linked administrative ....Informing intervention responses to violent offenders through data linkage. The project aims to capitalise on new data access capacity to improve knowledge on violent offender pathways and criminogenic needs, such as acquired brain injury, to reduce offending and re-offending. Violence is a major social and health issue nationally and internationally. While there has been substantial investment in treatment/prevention campaigns, rates of violence remain high. Using diverse linked administrative data, we will identify key risk factors and times in trajectories, as well as effective treatment/justice responses. Expected benefits include evidence-based recommendations and engagement with policymakers targeting recidivism, offender screening, treatment, and coordinated violence prevention policy and practice.Read moreRead less
Vulnerable families: A study of the impact of parental offending and incarceration on children's developmental outcomes. The limited evidence available suggests that parental incarceration severely compromises the development and well-being of children and increases the risk of delinquency. The financial and personal costs to the community of individuals embarking on an offending career are substantial. Significant cost-savings and prevention of victimisation could result from effectively target ....Vulnerable families: A study of the impact of parental offending and incarceration on children's developmental outcomes. The limited evidence available suggests that parental incarceration severely compromises the development and well-being of children and increases the risk of delinquency. The financial and personal costs to the community of individuals embarking on an offending career are substantial. Significant cost-savings and prevention of victimisation could result from effectively targeting this high-risk population. This research will identify where and when scarce government resources should be targeted. Appropriately timed programs can deliver a range of long-term benefits for children, families and communities. The research will also investigate the reintegration of prisoners into their families, with the aim of reducing prisoner recidivism.Read moreRead less
Trajectories of Childhood Antisocial Behaviour: A New Model and Prevention Program for the Early Onset Life Course Persistent Offender. Criminal offences committed by children under 14 years in Western Australia and Queensland increased by almost 20% in 2003. Many individuals involved in these actions began their antisociality in primary school and continued through high school, despite intervention. Support for the developmental pathway to early onset persistent offending is found in the school ....Trajectories of Childhood Antisocial Behaviour: A New Model and Prevention Program for the Early Onset Life Course Persistent Offender. Criminal offences committed by children under 14 years in Western Australia and Queensland increased by almost 20% in 2003. Many individuals involved in these actions began their antisociality in primary school and continued through high school, despite intervention. Support for the developmental pathway to early onset persistent offending is found in the school suspension and exclusion data where in 2002, 3339 Western Australian primary school children were suspended. Trends are comparable in Queensland. Antisocial behaviour is a major costly education and public health problem. This research addresses the issue of preventative treatments and hence State and Federal government expenditure. Read moreRead less
Building Citizenship Capacity in Young Adults With and Without Cerebral Palsy. This project will investigate practical aspects of citizenship participation within the context of a young adult population, as different from frequently reported theoretical views on citizenship. Specifically, the aim is to identify strategies necessary for building citizenship capacities for young adults with cerebral palsy (CP), as they are now living longer, but not eligible for care at the same level as during sc ....Building Citizenship Capacity in Young Adults With and Without Cerebral Palsy. This project will investigate practical aspects of citizenship participation within the context of a young adult population, as different from frequently reported theoretical views on citizenship. Specifically, the aim is to identify strategies necessary for building citizenship capacities for young adults with cerebral palsy (CP), as they are now living longer, but not eligible for care at the same level as during school years. Gaining capacities for success as a participating community member, young adults with CP need opportunities to manage not only physical and economic demands, but also develop knowledge and competencies necessary to engage in civic and social reciprocity within the community.Read moreRead less
Ecosystem restoration of bauxite-processing residue sand disposal areas in Western Australia: Important biogeochemical processes and effective fertilisation strategies. Alumina production is one of Australia's most important mining activities. Residue from bauxite-processing must be managed appropriately to minimise detrimental impacts on the surrounding environment. The location of Alcoa's WA Refineries in environmentally- and community- sensitive areas necessitates a detailed understanding of ....Ecosystem restoration of bauxite-processing residue sand disposal areas in Western Australia: Important biogeochemical processes and effective fertilisation strategies. Alumina production is one of Australia's most important mining activities. Residue from bauxite-processing must be managed appropriately to minimise detrimental impacts on the surrounding environment. The location of Alcoa's WA Refineries in environmentally- and community- sensitive areas necessitates a detailed understanding of residue disposal area (RDA) management. Currently little is known about the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon in the residue sand despite its importance for sustainable rehabilitation practice. Findings from this project are critical for developing improved fertilisation strategies and protocols for ecosystem restoration of RDAs, which will be applicable both in Australia and overseas. Read moreRead less
Improved quality and interpretation of terrestrial fauna surveys for environmental impact assessments in the mining industry. This study will improve the quality and interpretation of the terrestrial fauna surveys used as a basis for Environmental Impact Assessment in the mining industry. As a consequence, the Environment Protection Authority will better understand the potential impacts of mining on biodiversity and ecosystems, and can place more appropriate conditions on mining companies and th ....Improved quality and interpretation of terrestrial fauna surveys for environmental impact assessments in the mining industry. This study will improve the quality and interpretation of the terrestrial fauna surveys used as a basis for Environmental Impact Assessment in the mining industry. As a consequence, the Environment Protection Authority will better understand the potential impacts of mining on biodiversity and ecosystems, and can place more appropriate conditions on mining companies and their rehabilitation programs. In addition, the study will report on strategies for detecting rare and endangered species, and the development of appropriate databases to enable terrestrial fauna data to be interpreted in the context of soils and vegetation at habitat, landscape and regional scales.Read moreRead less
A molecular ecophysiological assessment of the importance of using local provenance seed in plant biodiversity restoration. The rehabilitation of Australia's unique plant diversity, following disturbance, is an increasingly important activity nationally, involving industry, government and community. The use of local seeds is recognised as best practise, but how local is local? We will use molecular tools to identify the extent of local seed transfer zones, conduct trials to assess the relative ....A molecular ecophysiological assessment of the importance of using local provenance seed in plant biodiversity restoration. The rehabilitation of Australia's unique plant diversity, following disturbance, is an increasingly important activity nationally, involving industry, government and community. The use of local seeds is recognised as best practise, but how local is local? We will use molecular tools to identify the extent of local seed transfer zones, conduct trials to assess the relative performance of local and non-local seeds (is there a home-site advantage?), and assess the consequences of mixing provenances for future generations. We will work closely with industry and community restoration practitioners to improve the effectiveness of restoration, with benefits flowing nationally through general provenance guidelines.Read moreRead less