Finding the pathways to crime prevention for socially disadvantaged communities: theory, evidence and practice. Long-term scientific evaluations of interventions that 'get in early' before crime problems emerge or become entrenched have consistently shown that such approaches work. However, governments and community agencies struggle to use this evidence to mount effective programs in areas of concentrated disadvantage because the evidence comes in the form of 'program packages' rather than mode ....Finding the pathways to crime prevention for socially disadvantaged communities: theory, evidence and practice. Long-term scientific evaluations of interventions that 'get in early' before crime problems emerge or become entrenched have consistently shown that such approaches work. However, governments and community agencies struggle to use this evidence to mount effective programs in areas of concentrated disadvantage because the evidence comes in the form of 'program packages' rather than models of practice that take account of local contexts and the challenges involved in achieving effective and sustainable engagement with local people and institutions. This project will show how models of effective crime prevention practice for disadvantaged communities can be developed, tested and implemented on a large scale in an economically efficient way.Read moreRead less
Community variations in crime: A spatial and ecometric analysis. Collective Efficacy (CE) is a new theoretical construct (that has never been investigated in Australia). It is a task-specific process for mobilising social capital to tackle specific neighbourhood problems. Research in Chicago finds that communities with high levels of CE experience lower levels of violence regardless of poverty levels. We will conduct a spatial and ecometric analysis of CE and crime using a survey of 3000 residen ....Community variations in crime: A spatial and ecometric analysis. Collective Efficacy (CE) is a new theoretical construct (that has never been investigated in Australia). It is a task-specific process for mobilising social capital to tackle specific neighbourhood problems. Research in Chicago finds that communities with high levels of CE experience lower levels of violence regardless of poverty levels. We will conduct a spatial and ecometric analysis of CE and crime using a survey of 3000 residents in 50 Brisbane communities. We will compare similar data from Chicago and Stockholm to investigate the Australian contribution of CE to spatial crime patterns and its potential for future crime prevention programs.Read moreRead less
Interactions between Young People and the Police: Developing Strategies for 'Best Practice'. Youth typically hold a negative perception of police producing conflict and problematic interactions. The impact of such negative interactions is greater risk to youth and police, lower confidence in the police, and reluctance to complain about police misconduct. An effective relationship between police and young people is vital to promote efficient and smooth conduct of law and order, and to create h ....Interactions between Young People and the Police: Developing Strategies for 'Best Practice'. Youth typically hold a negative perception of police producing conflict and problematic interactions. The impact of such negative interactions is greater risk to youth and police, lower confidence in the police, and reluctance to complain about police misconduct. An effective relationship between police and young people is vital to promote efficient and smooth conduct of law and order, and to create healthier, safer communities. Our aim is to develop best practice strategies for police service delivery and for the processing of complaints against police. An intervention to promote more successful and positive police-youth interactions will be trialed and evaluated.Read moreRead less
Safeguarding Rural Australia: Addressing violence in rural settings. The project will produce outcomes that address the national priority of safeguarding Australia and are of benefit to srengthtening the social fabric of rural communities experiencing high rates of violence. Little is known about why men in rural communities have higher rates of preventable injury, morbidity and mortality associated with violence compared to men from urban areas. Even less is known about the differences between ....Safeguarding Rural Australia: Addressing violence in rural settings. The project will produce outcomes that address the national priority of safeguarding Australia and are of benefit to srengthtening the social fabric of rural communities experiencing high rates of violence. Little is known about why men in rural communities have higher rates of preventable injury, morbidity and mortality associated with violence compared to men from urban areas. Even less is known about the differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous men. The project will shed new light on these problems and develop new models for the prevention and control of violence in rural settings of benefit to a wide range of end users in government and community agencies.Read moreRead less
What about the children? A study of the intergenerational consequences of paternal incarceration. Parental incarceration may have a profound and detrimental effect on children, heightening risk of offending and extreme disadvantage. The proportion of children affected is certain to increase as prison populations continue to grow. This research will identify policies and prevention strategies that will interrupt the cycle of disadvantage for children of prisoners and prevent social exclusion. Sig ....What about the children? A study of the intergenerational consequences of paternal incarceration. Parental incarceration may have a profound and detrimental effect on children, heightening risk of offending and extreme disadvantage. The proportion of children affected is certain to increase as prison populations continue to grow. This research will identify policies and prevention strategies that will interrupt the cycle of disadvantage for children of prisoners and prevent social exclusion. Significant cost-savings and prevention of victimisation could result from effectively targeting this high-risk population, reducing risk of offending and increasing the young person's ability to contribute meaningfully to society. Appropriately timed programs can deliver a range of long-term benefits for children, families and communities.Read moreRead less
Testing theoretical propositions concerning the onset and progression of child-sex offending, and field testing a new sexual abuse prevention model. Child sexual abuse poses serious threats to the health and well-being of Australian children. Data from a variety of sources indicate that, for a variety of reasons, Indigenous children are exposed to a heightened risk of sexual abuse. The present project is expected to lead to new discoveries about the causes of sexual abuse and to new evidence-bas ....Testing theoretical propositions concerning the onset and progression of child-sex offending, and field testing a new sexual abuse prevention model. Child sexual abuse poses serious threats to the health and well-being of Australian children. Data from a variety of sources indicate that, for a variety of reasons, Indigenous children are exposed to a heightened risk of sexual abuse. The present project is expected to lead to new discoveries about the causes of sexual abuse and to new evidence-based prevention methods both within Indigenous communities and in the wider community. The project will therefore contribute at a national level, as well as at a local community level, to broader efforts to improve the life chances of Australian children.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100853
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$344,996.00
Summary
Ethnically-motivated youth hate crime in Australia. This project aims to provide the first assessment of youth hate crime in Australia, examine incidence rates over time, and explore how Australia’s experiences compare internationally. Hate crime can cause injury, psychological harm and social disengagement. For victims in early adolescence – a critical time of identity formation – the harms may be multiplied. The project will uncover the risk and protective factors for perpetration and victimi ....Ethnically-motivated youth hate crime in Australia. This project aims to provide the first assessment of youth hate crime in Australia, examine incidence rates over time, and explore how Australia’s experiences compare internationally. Hate crime can cause injury, psychological harm and social disengagement. For victims in early adolescence – a critical time of identity formation – the harms may be multiplied. The project will uncover the risk and protective factors for perpetration and victimisation, and for understanding the consequences for hate crime victims. This is expected to benefit the community by helping to inform social policy to improve the lives of Australia’s youth.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
Understanding, modelling and preventing alcohol-related crime, violence and injuries in Surfers Paradise - a high-crime community. This Project aims to understand, model and prevent alcohol-related crime, violence and injuries in a high-crime community - Surfers Paradise. It also aims to overcome the traditional barriers to sustaining crime reductions. Information from multiple agencies will be collated in an integrated database. The subsequent modelled estimates will generate user-friendly crim ....Understanding, modelling and preventing alcohol-related crime, violence and injuries in Surfers Paradise - a high-crime community. This Project aims to understand, model and prevent alcohol-related crime, violence and injuries in a high-crime community - Surfers Paradise. It also aims to overcome the traditional barriers to sustaining crime reductions. Information from multiple agencies will be collated in an integrated database. The subsequent modelled estimates will generate user-friendly crime profiles for the community to analyse environmental and situational factors precipitating violence, crime and injury in their area. The Project is innovative because it integrates multiple sources of information, analyses them and enables prevention programmes to be matched to the social, temporal and spatial idiosyncrasies of any high-crime community.Read moreRead less
Challenges, Possibilities and Future Directions: A National Assessment of Australia's Children's Courts. Children's Courts occupy a unique position in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems in responding to often marginalized delinquent youth and vulnerable children and families. Philosophical and structural shifts in Australia and overseas suggest community and legal system responses are often ineffective and contribute to longer-term problems, creating social challenges for governments ....Challenges, Possibilities and Future Directions: A National Assessment of Australia's Children's Courts. Children's Courts occupy a unique position in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems in responding to often marginalized delinquent youth and vulnerable children and families. Philosophical and structural shifts in Australia and overseas suggest community and legal system responses are often ineffective and contribute to longer-term problems, creating social challenges for governments and communities alike. This national study will examine how key stakeholders, including, significantly, judicial officers, view the Children's Court's contemporary responses and challenges, their preferred alternatives responses and the viability of suggested reforms, thus offering a unique contribution to informing legal and social policy change.Read moreRead less