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Comparative CPTED Conference a great success

The Sydney Institute of Criminology hosted a one-day Comparative CPTED Conference on 24 January 2012. This conference brought together academics and practitioners from numerous jurisdictions (England, New Zealand, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and NSW) to explore the different approaches to designing out crime.

The conference proved to be a great success. Close to 90 people attended and contributed to the discussions. Some feedback from conference delegates included the following:

  • Very enjoyable, well structured and interesting – my compliments to all staff on the organisation of it.
  • Just wanted to say well done on the conference. I think that it was one of the best days I've been to at the Institute. I found the speakers really interesting and very relevant. I brought a landscape architect from work and today she told me her new motto is design out crime.
  • While I'm not in a purely CPTED focussed role, it was so very informative and interesting for me to widen my knowledge of the array of work carried out in the space.

Audio recordings and presentations of from some of the conference sessions are now available online.

Dr Murray Lee in the media

Dr Murray Lee

The more professional the police media strategy, the easier it is to have its message accepted by a compliant media trying to cope with fewer journalists, according to Institute co-director Dr Murray Lee.

Dr Lee's paper, Cop[ying] It Sweet, co-authored with Alyce McGovern, a criminology lecturer at the University of NSW, is referred to a special Sydney Morning Herald feature article on Police and the media, with issues such as Social Media and Reality TV examined.

In the paper, they write that in relation to Reality TV, the danger in this climate, they wrote, was the police had more capacity to control information and could ''frame a great percentage of narratives about law and order and policing''.

View the entire article - Reality TV the new frontline for police - here.

Garner Clancey in the media

Garner Clancey

Adjunct Lecturer Garner Clancey was interviewed on ABC Radio National's ByDesign about ways of reducing crime through environmental design.

To listen to the full interview click here.

The Institute welcomes Dr Sabine Selchow

The Institute welcomes visiting academic Dr Sabine Selchow. Dr Selchow is a Fellow in the Civil Society and Human Security Research Unit in the Department of International Development at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). From June 2011, she is part of the international research team of the 5-year-project entitled 'Security in Transition: An Interdisciplinary Investigation of the Security Gap'. The project sets out to develop an innovative and interdisciplinary framework to grasp global insecurities. It is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) (grant holder: Professor Mary Kaldor). Dr Selchow is in charge of the work package that focuses on discourses of insecurity.

Dr Greg Martin in the media

Dr Greg Martin

Institute of Criminology member Dr Greg Martin has published an opinion piece titled, 'Why the UK riots have more to do with austerity than criminality', at ON LINE opinion.

"The London riots need to be seen in the context of consumer culture and the austerity measures and cannot be blamed simply on bad kids and irresponsible parents."

Read the full article online here.

Dr Martin was also recently interviewed about the UK riots on the Terri Begley morning show at ABC Brisbane.

‘Measuring Access to Justice’

Dr Rita Shackel

DO YOU WORK WITH VICTIMS OF CRIME OR HAVE YOU BEEN DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY CRIME?

We are recruiting participants for a research study titled ‘Measuring Access to Justice’ (MA2J) which focuses on victims’ experiences with criminal processes.

Dr Rita Shackel from the University of Sydney Law School is working collaboratively with Tilburg University (Netherlands) and the International Institute of Victimology (INTERVICT) on the MA2J study. This research aims to test the validity of a measuring tool (survey) specifically developed to assess victims’ experiences with the criminal justice process in a comprehensive and systematic way.

If you are interested in completing the survey, or finding out more about the study or perhaps may be able to assist with the distribution of the MA2J survey please either:

  • Click here and complete and directly submit the survey online;
  • Click here and complete the survey online and email or print a hard copy to send back to the researchers (further instructions are included online);
  • Contact Rita Shackel via email at or by phone on 02 9351 0368 or email Noleen Grogan at .

Commonwealth Secretariat East Africa Prosecution and Police Training Programme

In June 2011 the Institute hosted the East Africa Prosecution and Police Training Programme for the Secretariat to the Commonwealth Heads of Government (ComSec). Senior prosecutors and police from five East African nations (Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Mauritius and Seychelles) took part in web-based training modules and travelled to intensive workshops held at the Institute, Sydney Law School. The programme addressed capacity-building of police and prosecutors from the participating nations, focusing on the themes of transnational and international crime. Participants were instructed by international experts in relation to best practice and practical skills, and had the opportunity to network with their regional counterparts. The training programme was completed with an outing to the NSW Police Academy in Goulburn which exposed participants to the education and training functions of the NSW police force and visits to NSW Criminal Justice System agencies.

Congratulations to Professor Pat O'Malley on the 2010 Radzinowicz Prize

Professor Pat O

The Institute congratulates Professor Pat O'Malley for being awarded the 2010 Radzinowicz Prize by the editors of the British Journal of Criminology for his article 'Simulated Justice: Risk, Money and Telemetric Policing', 50 (5) 795-807.

The Radzinowicz Prize is awarded annually for the BJC article from the latest volume which, in the opinion of the Editor in Chief and Editors, has made the greatest contribution to the development of criminology.

Congratulations to Associate Professor Thomas Crofts on the ANZSOC Adam Sutton Crime Prevention Award 2011

Associate Professor Thomas Crofts

The Institute congratulates Associate Professor Thomas Crofts for being awarded the ANZSOC Adam Sutton Crime Prevention Award 2011 by for his article 'The Law and (Anti-Social Behaviour) Order Campaign in Western Australia’, published in Current Issues in Criminal Justice, Volume 22 Number 3, March 2011.

The Adam Sutton Crime Prevention Award is awarded each year to an individual who, in the opinion of the judges, has written the best publication or report in the area of crime prevention. Submissions are judged according to the extent to which they demonstrate pragmatic and workable solutions to Australasian crime problems, that reflect the values of a tolerant and inclusive society, and which are founded in theory and research on crime prevention.

The Selection Committee noted that all the submissions were of a high standard, but that they unanimously felt that Dr Croft's paper was worthy of the Award. The Committee was impressed with his comprehensive analysis of the problems associated with Prohibited Behaviour Orders and were drawn to his engagement with contemporary crime policy in Western Australia and the need for policies proposed within Australia to be cognizant of how well initiatives have fared in other jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom. The article was exemplary in the way in which it focused on the issues at hand and mounted a critique in a thoughtful and well-substantiated manner. The article also fitted particularly well the criterion of the Award that entrants address crime prevention in a manner that takes seriously the need for measures to be consistent with the values of a tolerant and inclusive society.

Institute of Criminology Internship Program

The Institute of Criminology’s Internship Program is open to undergraduate and postgraduate students of Sydney Law School.

This is a recently established program undertaken on a pro-bono basis. One internship position is currently offered in each semester of the academic year. Interns must be available to work one full (8 hour) day per week (or equivalent by agreement) for the duration of one semester (10 weeks). Students can also apply for admission to the program by intensive mode during winter and summer break.

The Internship Program will be of interest to those students seeking to gain experience in an organisation devoted to research and public policy in the area of criminal justice. Interns will be provided with the opportunity to participate in a broad range of Institute activities and to interact, both formally and informally, with Institute staff members.

The Institute’s Internship Program may be undertaken as credit towards the External Placement Program in Sydney Law School's undergraduate program. For further information about the External Placement Program see the Faculty of Law, Undergraduate Units of Study Descriptions here.

For further details on intern activities, how to apply, when to apply, selection criteria, previous projects undertaken by interns and intern undertakings click here. Information on the program is also available under the Study criminology tab.

Applications for the Semester 2 2011 internship close on Monday 4 July 2011.

Dr Arlie Loughnan, Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics

Dr Arlie Loughnan

Dr Arlie Loughnan held a Visiting Fellowship at the London School of Economics August - November 2010. As part of her sabbatical, Arlie was based in the Law Dept. at LSE. During this time, Arlie was working on her monograph on mental incapacity in criminal law (forthcoming, Oxford University Press). While a Visitor at LSE, Arlie gave papers in the staff seminars at the University of Cork, City University, the University of Glasgow and Warwick University. Arlie also presented her research on infanticide to medical staff of the Bracton Trust, a secure psychiatric facility that is a part of the NHS. Having returned to Australia, Arlie is continuing her research on mental incapacity in criminal law, criminal law theory and criminal procedure.

News Archive

Dr Murray Lee in the media

Dr Murray Lee

Institute of Criminology co-director Dr Murray Lee was interviewed by 7:30 Victoria for ABC TV commenting on the crisis in Victoria Police. The story aired on Friday 10th June.

He was also recently interviewed today for a story in the Canberra Times on Police use of social media - read the full article online here.

Participants needed for research study: Measuring Crime Victims’ Paths to Justice

Dr Rita Shackel from the Institute of Criminology is working collaboratively with Tilburg University on a research study titled ‘Measuring Access to Justice’ (MA2J). The study is designed to measure the experiences of victims in the criminal justice system with the aim of creating a more systematic approach to evaluating victims’ experiences.

If you are an agency working with victims and would like to assist us in distributing the survey we would love to hear from you. Alternatively, agencies and victims can access the survey online.

If you would like more information please contact Rita Shackel via email at or by phone on 02 9351 0368, or email Noleen Grogan at .

NSWLRC Report into Complicity

Dr Arlie Loughnan was a member of the academic advisory panel for the NSWLRC Report into Complicity (Report 129).

"This Report reviews the principles relating to complicity by which a person (a secondary offender) may be found liable for offences committed by another (the primary offender). In NSW, these principles are currently governed by the common law. The principles considered include those that attach secondary or derivative liability to accessories before the fact, principals in the second degree, parties to a joint criminal enterprise, and parties to an extended joint criminal enterprise.

Also included in this review are the related inchoate offences of conspiracy and incitement which can fix primary liability on people for actions which, if carried to completion, would potentially involve them in some of the forms of secondary liability. The offence of being an accessory after the fact is also considered, as it involves assistance offered to the primary offender after the commission of a crime. Finally, constructive (or felony) murder under the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) is also considered, in so far as it can attach secondary liability to a person for a killing committed by another.

The inconsistent doctrinal bases for these various heads of liability, and the gaps or uncertainties in the common law, have left the law in an unsatisfactory state. In order to deal with these problems, the Commission recommends a “codification” of the relevant principles to supersede those that currently exist at common law."

View the entire report here.

Make a submission: Current Issues in Criminal Justice's ERA ranking

Current Issues in Criminal Justice (CICJ) has been at the forefront of publishing the work of critical criminologists in Australia and internationally since its inception in 1989.

In 2008, all academic journals were ranked by the Australian Research Council from A to C. CICJ is currently ranked a very respectable B. This year all journals will be ranked again and we are firmly of the view that CICJ should re-ranked as an A quality journal.

Members of the public are invited to make short online submissions regarding journal rankings and we would appreciate it if you could take five minutes to support the re-ranking of CICJ from B to A.

To make a submission please visit https://roci.arc.gov.au/Profile/Register to log in/register your details. Once in the system, click on ‘Search Ranked Outlets’ and enter ‘Current Issues in Criminal Justice’ as the title. Select the journal and click ‘Comment on this Outlet’ to make a submission, which includes ranking evidence and general comments. Submissions must be completed by 8:00am (AEST), 4 April 2011.

In making your submission you may wish to refer to points raised in the document produced by the Institute of Criminology in support of an A ranking for CICJ such as:

-The high quality of the articles and authors we publish;
-Longevity and consistency of the journal: 3 issues of CICJ have been published each year since 1989, the journal is preceded by the annual Proceedings of the Institute of Criminology (since 1967);
-Special issues of the journal are periodically published, with leading scholars in the field invited to contribute articles on contemporary issues in criminal justice and appropriate international editors invited by editorial board;
-CICJ’s support from and engagement with criminal justice institutions, academics, researchers and professionals.

Thank you for your support.

Professor Duncan Chappell, Professor Mark Findlay and Dr Murray Lee
Current Issues in Criminal Justice

Associate Professor Gail Mason's Keynote address to the inaugural South Asian Society of Criminology and Victimology international conference

Associate Professor Gail Mason gave a Keynote address to the inaugural South Asian Society of Criminology and Victimology (SASCV) international conference in Jaipur, India 15-17 January 2011.

The title of Assoc Prof Mason’s paper was Denying the Obvious: Racist Violence and Indian Students in Australia. It discussed the results of a qualitative study of responses by Australia’s political leaders to the claim that Indian nationals studying in Australia are the victims of racially motivated crime and violence. Drawing upon a sample of press releases, parliamentary hansard, and media interviews compiled over a 12 month period, Assoc Prof Mason argued that Australian federal parliamentarians have refused to acknowledge that some of the racism reported by Indian students in Australia is motivated or aggravated by racism. Instead, they have engaged in a series of strategies that collectively amount to a form of denial, including: avoidance of the language of racism; positive self-presentation through nationalist rhetoric; and deflection of the problem away from racism and onto urban crime. Such denial fails to recognise the full harm of the victimisation to the Indian student community in Australia and damages Australia’s reputation internationally.

SafeGrowth and City Crime Workshop a Great Success

The Institute hosted a one-day workshop on 24 January 2011 focusing on crime in cities. This conference, SafeGrowth and City Crime - Co-Design, Eco-Parks, Funky Laneways and Fixing Deadzones, was facilitated by Greg Saville (North America) and Wendy Sarkissian (Australia) and considered such diverse issues as homelessness, graffiti, the night time economy, activation of laneways and public art. Comments from some of the 70 participants demonstrated the success of the workshop:

The Safegrowth event was amazing, and it was great to meet a few more people in the industry.

The mix of group discussion, practical application and presentations was well balanced. The presenters were well thought out and the topics thought provoking.

I found it really interesting because, as a policy person, I rarely get to hear the theory and practice stuff together.

Crime maps, policing and fear: Dr Murray Lee in the media

Dr Murray Lee discussed the pros and cons of the Home Office's new crime mapping website in an opinion piece in 'The Guardian'.

"'Research into fear of crime has constantly indicated that the link between crime fear and recorded levels of crime is spurious. Even when recorded crime rates fall a significant percentage of the public assume crime is on the increase. Indeed, the release of such data may have the unintended consequence of increasing fear of crime as more attention is drawn to crime in the neighbourhood. People almost always believe crime is worse "elsewhere" than their own neighbourhood. There is a chance this initiative might bring the crime problem back home in the public imagination.''

View the entire article here.

Asia-Pacific Crime Prevention Forum

Adjunct Lecturer Garner Clancey was recently invited to deliver a presentation to the Asia-Pacific Crime Prevention Forum held in Adelaide between 23 and 26 January 2011. The Forum, organised by the Australian Crime Prevention Council, provided a wonderful opportunity to learn about crime prevention programs and initiatives across the region. Garner provided an overview of some promising programs and critical factors shaping crime prevention practice in Australia.

View his paper here at the Crime Prevention Resources collection of the Sydney eScholarship Repository.

Unfitness to Plead: Dr Arlie Loughnan responds to UK Law Commission Consulatation Paper

Dr Arlie Loughnan has prepared a response to the UK Law Commission's Consultation Paper on unfitness to plead (No. 197). In her response, Dr Loughnan endorsed the Commission's proposal to reform the law on unfitness to plead and to move it in the direction of the civil law on competency. Dr Loughnan said, 'The criminal law on unfitness to plead fails provide a protection for mentally impaired defendants because it sets too low a threshold for fitness.'

According to Dr Loughnan, 'Reform in the direction of the civil law, which employs a broader and more holistic test for decision-making competency, would ensure the unfitness to plead provision better served the interests of the individual and the criminal justice system.'

Congratulations to Institute Director Gail Mason on ARC grant success

Congratulations to Institute Director Gail Mason for her success in the most recent round of ARC grants. Gail, with Leslie Moran from Birkbeck College, has been awarded $164,338 for her project “Hate Crime Laws and Justice”. She is also an investigator on a Linkage Project headed by Monash University titled “Targeted Crime: policing and social inclusion”. $233,000 has been awarded to the team who will partner with Victoria Police to look at the policing of incidents and crimes motivated by bias, prejudice or hatred towards members of particular groups, communities and individuals.

Community Safety, Crime Prevention and Public Space presentation a success

Garner Clancey (Adjunct Lecturer, Sydney Institute of Criminology) was invited to deliver a presentation on Community Safety, Crime Prevention and Public Space to the Liverpool City Council ‘Making a Difference for Tomorrow – Liverpool Community’ Conference held on 27 and 28 October 2010. During the presentation, Garner discussed societal changes impacting upon the use and regulation of public space and introduced different models of preventing crime. The presentation was well received, with the following comments provided by participants who regarded the presentation the highlight session of the conference:

The Crime Prevention workshop addressed issues I was interested in as part of my work & personally.

Community Safety & Crime Prevention was very interesting for me. I learnt a few things in this session e.g. concept of public space and strategy of crime prevention.

Please contact us if you would like further information about the Crime Prevention Training developed by the Institute.

Introduction to Crime Prevention Course

The Institute ran an Introduction to Crime Prevention Course on 20 October 2010. Thirteen participants from various agencies participated in this training which covered the following topics:

Reasons not to solely rely on the criminal justice system to prevent crime

Local crime statistics and crime data analysis

A crime problem-solving model

Models of crime prevention and associated theories

Simple methods of evaluating crime prevention initiatives

The following is some of the information gleaned from the completed evaluation forms:

100% strongly agreed or agreed with the statement – I enjoyed the training

100% strongly agreed or agreed with the statement – The training was well organised

92% strong agreed or agreed with the statement – I am confident that I can apply aspects of the training in my work

100% strongly agreed or agreed with the statement – I would recommend the training to others involved in crime prevention work

Garner Clancey, facilitator of the training and Adjunct Lecturer with the Institute, was pleased with these outcomes and is willing to take this training to interested organisations. Garner will also be responsible for facilitating the Crime Prevention Master Class on 24 November 2010.

Sydney Law School’s Criminology Program and Criminology Vocational Guide

Sydney Law School’s Criminology Program is the most established of its kind in Australia. The benefit of Sydney’s long history in the field of teaching and researching Criminology is combined with the innovation of cutting edge and contemporary courses, taught side-by-side with the fundamentals of Criminology. Programs are designed to give access to academic engagement at the highest standards coupled with criminal justice policy and practice developments.

To download information on the Criminology Program at Sydney Law School click here.

There is no single answer to the frequently asked question, what does a criminologist do?. Students and potential students of criminology rightly want to know where they might get a job and what career paths exist for criminologists. This document provides some insights into what criminologists do and suggests some potential employment opportunities and career paths open to criminologists.

To download the Sydney Institute of Criminology's Short Vocational Guide on Criminology click here.

Biting the Hand that Feeds You: Garner Clancey on Crime Risk Assessment Reports and CPTED

Adjunct Lecturer Garner Clancey has a short piece in the 'International CPTED Association Newsletter'.

"'Having been a crime prevention consultant for over eight years, I am acutely aware of the pressures on consultants to devise the right recommendations. What is the role of CPTED participants with their clients in their pursuit of objectivity? Do crime risk assessment reports reflect more of the client's desires than the reality of negative CPTED results?.''

View the entire article here.

Border Crimes: Australia's ‘War’ on Illicit Migrants recognised as "an outstanding work of scholarship"

Border Crimes: Australia's ‘War’ on Illicit Migrants by Michael Grewcock, recently published in the Sydney Institute of Criminology's book series, has received a glowing review by Penny Green in the lastest issue of the British Journal of Criminology.

"This is a beautifully written book. The chapters follow seamlessly to provide a coherent depiction of the politics of exclusion in Australia's history from its infamous ‘White Australia’ policy to its embrace of multiculturalism. Importantly, Grewcock tackles each of the central debates informing our knowledge of asylum and people-smuggling practice (usually through well publicized border policing and internal criminal justice initiatives). In Chapter 3, Australia's contemporary policy towards asylum and immigration is presented as reflecting the country's long history of legitimizing border restrictions. Here, he rigorously challenges the assumptions that commonly obscure accurate representation of the asylum and refugee process with narrative and empirical accounts and an exacting investigation of policy developments. The historical analysis employed makes vividly clear that the legal and policy antecedents that shaped the country's migration control regime have been systematically underpinned by ideologies of exclusion that were crudely but successfully employed in justification...

"While its focus is targeted on Australia, Border Crimes has a much broader global resonance. The book explores the range of issues central to understanding the development of contemporary Western policy in relation to asylum seekers and explains the growth in the reliance on criminal justice strategies to police this policy. Grewcock's is a rigorous and scholarly treatment of a crucially important set of phenomena. In tackling Australia's response to unauthorized migration, the book forces us to consider the international issues that underpin not only this form of state deviance, but also the patterns of dehumanization, state violence, exclusion and victim demonization that characterize so many other forms of state criminality. Border Crimes is original in the detailed historical context provided, the breadth and sophistication of its analysis, and the richness of the data presented. It is an outstanding work of scholarship."

View the entire review here.

Order the book here.

The hazards of police-speak: Dr Murray Lee in the media

Dr Murray Lee comments were included in a 'The Sydney Morning Herald' article on the police force's media unit.

"'The sensational reporting that takes place in the tabloid media serves to increase public anxiety. In fact most of the public believe crime rates to be much higher than they are … If indeed police are trying to play down some crime it's probably a response to media sensationalism as much as anything else.''

View the entire article here.

Hate crimes not reported: Associate Professor Gail Mason in the media

Associate Professor Gail Mason was interviewed in the 'Townsville Bulletin' regarding hate crimes, in association with a public lecture she gave at James Cook University titled Hate Crime Laws: Does Queensland Need Them?.

Prof Mason says Queensland should proceed with caution if lobbying continues for race-hate laws in Queensland. There had been relatively few cases in Western Australia, the Northern Territory or NSW because of difficulties in policing and prosecution. "If a neo-Nazi goes and decides to petrol bomb a synagogue, that's a hate crime," she said. "It's quite easy for a law to identify that situation. But what about someone who selects certain kinds of victims to assault and rob - which is part of what's happening with the Indian students. Are they targeted because they are hated or for some other reason?" She argues that sanctions against hate-crimes reflect public abhorrence of racial, religious or anti-gay violence. The existing laws were more symbolic than practical, in defining unacceptable behaviour. Her experiece as an adviser to the NSW police force suggested officers would need training and good leadership to make any future Queensland legislation work. "New laws are not always the best answer," she said.
Education and life experience could help overcome knee-jerk prejudices and fear.

Dr Rita Shackel collaborating in international access to justice project

Dr Rita Shackel is collaborating with the Tilburg Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies of Civil Law and Conflict Resolution Systems (TISCO) and the International Institute of Victimology Tilburg (INTERVICT) in undertaking comparative research on access to justice. This research focuses on the experiences of victims of crime in Australia adding to the project’s international perspective, which also includes Bulgaria, the United States, the Netherlands and aims to offer lessons from each jurisdiction.

Youth Crime Prevention Training and Planning

The Sydney Institute of Criminology piloted a youth crime prevention training and planning session with 15 workers from the Blue Mountains on Wednesday 31 March 2010. This session included discussion of local crime trends, identification of priority crimes and their causes, and inter-agency deliberation on the best ways to tackle these issues. Through the course of this session, a plan was developed to respond to key issues, with appropriate agencies taking responsibility for various tasks.

Feedback from the participants suggested that the session was a success. The following are just some of the results from the 11 participant evaluations completed on the day:

100% (11/11) strongly agreed or agreed with the statement, ‘I enjoyed the training’;

91% (10/11) strongly agreed or agreed with the statement, ‘The training was well organised’;

91% (10/11) strongly agreed or agreed with the statement, ‘I would recommend the training to others’;

91% (10/11) strongly agreed or agreed with the statement, ‘It was beneficial to work with the group to develop youth crime prevention strategies’.

Participants were asked if they had any further comments to add. The following are some of the comments provided:

'Well done. Excellent day’;

'A fantastic opportunity to have all relevant services working together’;

'Excellent. More of it’;

'All very positive. Focus on planning as opposed to just training is ideal’.

Please contact the Institute if you would like further information about the Youth Crime Prevention Training/Planning session developed by the Institute.

Professor Pat O'Malley's book The Currency of Justice wins honourable mention

Professor Pat O'Malley's book The Currency of Justice: Fines and Damages in Consumer Societies has won an honourable mention in the American Law and Society Association’s 2009 Herbert Jacobs Book Award. The prize is intended to recognize new, outstanding work in law and society scholarship.

The Sydney Institute of Criminology's Highlights of 2009

The Sydney Institute of Criminology has released a document outlining some of its highlights of 2009 regarding public education, research and publications, and Institute staff.

Sydney Institute of Criminology – Highlights of 2009

Upcoming presentations by Dr Rita Shackel

Dr Rita Shackel has been selected to talk at the University of Sydney Early Career Researcher Showcase on Wednesday 29 September. In addition, Rita has been invited to present at the ASSERT NSW & University of Sydney Conference Too much, too little and different: The sexual possibilities of the new millennium. She will be speaking on Saturday 30 October from 11.00-11.45am at a plenary session, presenting a paper is on child sexual abuse.

Adjunct Professor Duncan Chappell at the UN Crime Congress in Salvador

Duncan Chappell (right) at UN Crime Congress with Stefano Manacorda

Adjunct Professor Duncan Chappell attended the 12th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Salvador as a Board member and member of the delegation of ISPAC - the International Scientific and Professional Advisory Council of the UN Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Program. He also acted as a moderator and panelist on a Congress ancillary meeting sponsored by ISPAC titled 'Protecting Cultural Property: The State of the Art'. As a panelist, Duncan's contribution examined the nature and extent of the organised market in looted antiquities. This issue is to be a main focus of the forthcoming UN Crime Commission meeting in Vienna in May when it is anticipated that a range of measures will be proposed to strengthen the international effort to curb the market for plundered antiquities. Duncan is also co-editing a book with a colleague, Professor Stefano Manacorda from the University of Paris, to be published by Springer late this year, which deals with these issues.

Duncan is pictured (right) with Professor Stefano Manacorda outside the Congress.

Wobbly Underbelly hides criminal truth: Professor Mark Findlay in the media

Professor Mark Findlay

Professor Mark Findlay had an opinion piece published in 'The Sydney Morning Herald' on misinformation on organised crime.

"How is it that the Underbelly image of organised crime has such purchase? There is no point in criminologists blaming the media. The producers in pre-production for the second series, when criticised about distortion and unreality, simply retorted: ''Why spoil a good story with facts?...Distortions about crime are not new. Domestic violence - rather than rape or homicide - is the true face of crime epidemics in Australia. Crime business is usually orderly, largely non-violent, and mirrors many standard commercial environments. In its mundane and recurrent form, it does not make good Sunday night tele. Murders of organised crime figures like Carl Williams are the exception, even in overcrowded prisons where prestige is won and safety ensured through a ''dog-eat-dog'' trade in violence and stand-over measures."

View the entire article here.

Over 220 Aussies jailed in foreign prisons: Associate Professor Gail Mason in the media

Associate Professor Gail Mason was interviewed regarding the number of Australians in jail overseas.

Gail noted that people are subject to the laws of the country that they are in and suggested that it may be the case that Australians engage in higher risk behaviour when travelling.

View the entire article here.

Beyond Reasonable Probability, DNA evidence in the dock: Dr Rita Shackel in the media

Dr Rita Shackel was interviewed by 2ser's law show ‘Radio Atticus’ on Monday 12th of April regarding the impact of DNA evidence in the courtroom.

Rita highlighted the lack of in-depth understanding about DNA evidence across the legal profession and how this issue is compounded by jurors’ limited comprehension of DNA evidence presented to them in court. She emphasised that DNA evidence is about statistical probabilities and “when there is a positive result…there’s a misunderstanding that that actually equates to an exact match”.

Listen to the interview here.

Concern at bid to keep offenders locked up: Professor Julie Stubbs in the media

Professor Julie Stubbs was interviewed by 'The Sydney Morning Herald' regarding proposed laws which seek to keep serious violent offenders in prison or on supervision orders after their release.

Julie outlined the process of review that serious offenders in NSW are already subject to and highlighted issues regarding access to existing rehabilitation programs.

View the entire article here.

The Institute welcomes Cate Stewart, new production editor of Current Issues in Criminal Justice

The Institute welcomes Cate Stewart, the new production editor of Current Issues in Criminal Justice.

Cate has nine years’ experience working in print and online publishing including editorial and publishing systems roles at Thomson (Law Book Co in Sydney and Sweet & Maxwell in London) and Wolters Kluwer Asia-Pacific/CCH Australia (Sydney). Cate also has a BA LLB from The University of Sydney.

Cate takes over from Dawn Koester, who left the Institute after a number of years of doing a wonderful job with the journal.

Dr Arlie Loughnan wins Faculty of Law Teaching prize

Dr Arlie Loughnan, a member of the Institute staff, has been awarded the Faculty of Law’s Award for Excellence in Teaching 2010.

Arlie has taught a range of courses in criminal law, criminal procedure and criminal law theory since she joined the Faculty in 2007.

In 2009, Arlie taught two undergraduate compulsory units, developed and taught for the first time a new highly specialised postgraduate unit, and developed a new advanced undergraduate elective unit that is being taught for the first time this year.

Arlie has thus demonstrated flexibility in adjusting her teaching to accommodate the particular student population, whether it be undergraduate students completely new to the subject matter or highly experienced postgraduate students looking for more advanced study in a specialised area.

The Institute congratulates Arlie on her well-deserved achievement.

Police pursuits, a necessary evil?: Dr Murray Lee in the media

Dr Murray Lee was interviewed by 'The Wire' as part of a story on police pursuits following the deaths of four people in the ACT after police pursued a speeding vehicle.

Murray outlined a number of alternatives to pursuing vehicles available to police and the issues associated with these other approaches.

Listen to the story Police pursuits, a necessary evil?

United Motorcycle Council visit Sydney Law School

On Tuesday 30 March, the spokesman for the United Motorcycle Council (NSW Branch), The Honourable Ferret, and the UMC lawyer, Mr Wayne Baffsky, came to speak to the Advanced Criminal Law students on the topic of unlawful association (along with the UMC Agent, Mr James McNamarra). The UMC formed to represent various ‘biker’ clubs after the recent law reforms in SA and NSW.

The guests made presentations to the class and answered student questions about the effect of the new laws on them, in advance of the upcoming appeal to the High Court of Australia regarding the SA laws, due to be heard on the 20th and 21st of April.

View the application for special leave to the High Court