The Sydney Institute of Criminology (SIC) nurtures relevant and impactful research and a collaborative and innovative research culture.

Our members engage in traditional and less traditional research covering a breadth of academic disciplines. Research is published in leading journals and addresses problems of global significance, such as:

• Consent laws (Dr Andrew Dyer and Professors Penny Crofts, Professor Gail Mason and Professor Arlie Loughnan)
• Constitutional protections against extreme punishment (Dr Dyer)
• Corporate Crime and the use of deferred prosecution agreements (Prof Colin King)
• Criminal responsibility and the history, philosophy and changing nature of the criminal law (Professor Arlie Loughnan)
• Cultural Property Crime (Prof Saskia Hufnagel)
• Digital technologies (Dr Carolyn McKay)
• Ecocide (Dr Rachel Killean)
• Financial Crime (Prof Colin King)
• First Nations’ vision, voice, and values (A/Professor Williams)
• Global Drug Policy (Dr Ben Mostyn)
• Hate crime (Professor Gail Mason)
• International Criminal Law (Dr Rachel Killean)
• International Policing (Prof Saskia Hufnagel)
• Neurotechnology (Dr Allan McCay)
• Policing, police perceptions, eyewitnesses and memory (Professor Lee, Dr van Golde and A/Professor Paterson)
• Prosecutorial guidelines (Professor Judy Cashmore,  Professor Nicholas Cowdery and Professor Rita Shackel)
• Restorative and youth justice (Dr Pearce and A/Professor Garner Clancey)
• Social policy; interrogating class, gender, 'race' and  motherhood (Professor Goodwin)
• Tendency and coincidence evidence (Professor Hamer)
• Terrorism and extremism (Dr Andrew Dyer and Mr Josh Pallas)
• Transitional Justice (Dr Rachel Killean)
• Victims and the criminal trial, restorative and therapeutic justice (A/Professor Kirchengast)
• Wrongful convictions, corrections and punishment (Professor Hamer and Dr Rudge)

The Institute runs seminars, workshops, and conferences involving our members and national and international colleagues ensuring a stimulating, collaborative research culture that is conducive to research excellence.

Members of the Institute play a principal role in developing, strengthening, and teaching diverse undergraduate and master’s units of study at the University of Sydney. These include: 

• Criminal Law (LAWS1016 and LAWS5004)
• Civil and Criminal Procedure (LAWS1014 and LAWS5003) 
• Evidence Law (LAWS2016 and LAWS5013) 
• Criminology (LAWS3426) 
• Philosophy of Criminal Law (LAWS3513) 
• Advanced Criminal Law (LAWS3404) 
• Indigenous Peoples and Public Law (LAWS3435)
• Digital Technology: Tech and Crime (LAWS6358) 
• Discretion in Criminal Justice (LAWS6066) 
• Hate Crime (LAWS6862) 
• Explaining Crime (LAWS6048)
• Policing: Crime, Control and Security (LAWS6197)
• Critical Victimology (LAWS6356) 

Our members demonstrate a commitment to law reform by making submissions to the Australian Law Reform’s Commissions and by contributing to public debate nationally and internationally. 

The Institute runs several annual public events, including:

• Criminology seminars for Continuing Professional Development ('CPD')   
• Paul Byrne SC Memorial Lecture (attracting alumni, members of the legal profession, NGOs, government, and the judiciary)

Recent conferences include:

• Pandemic Policing
• Domestic and Family Violence Conference
• Youth Justice Symposium
• Neurotechnology, Criminal Law and Human Rights

We value the contributions and commitment of our partner organisations that support our public seminars and events. Some of our sponsored seminars include: 

• Beyond Punishment, Corrective Services NSW: Since 2002 Corrective Services NSW has sponsored the Beyond Punishment seminar series established as a forum for research presentations, lectures, panel discussions and formal networking. This program focuses on key issues relevant to criminal justice and the correctional systems.
• Juvenile Justice Seminar Series: We are pleased to announce the renewal of the Juvenile Justice seminar program sponsored by Juvenile Justice NSW. The seminar series began in 2010 and is a key element of Juvenile Justice’s community engagement program, which aims to better educate the public on aspects of the juvenile justice system. 

In 2016 the Sydney Institute of Criminology celebrated 50 years of innovative and critical criminological, criminal law and criminal justice research, teaching and community engagement.

For more information on the events and celebrations around the 50th anniversary, please download the following documents:

• Sydney Institute of Criminology: Celebrating 50 years (PDF 293KB)
• History of events at the institute (PDF 801KB)
• Key office holders at the institute (PDF 92KB)

Current Issues in Criminal Justice is our prestigious peer-reviewed international journal that provides a forum for contemporary academic debate from leading experts.

In addition, institute members publish and present their research outputs in high-quality international journals, research monographs, texts and conference proceedings and contribute to media analysis of current crimino-legal matters.

Special Issue in Criminal Law - Current Issues in Criminal Justice, Volume 35, Issue 1

This Special Issue arose from the Annual Criminal Law Workshop for Australian and New Zealand criminal law scholars, which was held at the University of Sydney Law School on 7 February 2022.

Most of the contributors to the Special Issue participated in that Workshop – either as presenters or commentators or both – and we thank all of them very much for contributing their work to Current Issues in Criminal Justice.

The Special Issue concerns recent criminal law and criminal justice developments, particularly (though not only) in Australia; and contributors have dealt with an eclectic range of topics, demonstrating the vibrancy and wide reach of criminal law scholarship.

Topics covered are: jury directions in sexual offence proceedings; intimate partner violence; sentencing for infanticide; wrongful convictions; summary justice; the minimum age of criminal responsibility; corporare crime; the law relating to mental incapacity; and the partial defence of provocation.

A primary objective of the institute is to lead, stimulate and contribute to public debate and education. It continues its proud tradition of hosting seminars and events involving an array of world renowned and local experts. Sponsored seminar series and the Professional Development Program contribute to the institute's calendar of events.

If you would like to receive information on jobs, events, reports and research in criminology, criminal law and criminal justice, sign up to CrimNet by emailing us at law.criminology@sydney.edu.au.  

Visit our events calendar for all upcoming events. 

Centre for Continuing Education

The Centre for Continuing Education and the Sydney Institute of Criminology hold courses throughout the year aimed at criminal justice practitioners, students and others. The Centre for Continuing Education courses focus on delivering practical and applied learning opportunities. 

Publicising events

Other organisations are encouraged to submit information about upcoming criminology events. Please email law.criminology@sydney.edu.au so that we may publicise your event via CrimNet.