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Latest news

AIC Researcher awarded Churchill Fellowship
AIC Research Analyst Dr Kelly Richards has been awarded the ACT Government Audrey Fagan Churchill Fellowship to investigate the potential of Circles of Support and Accountability to prevent child sexual abuse in Australia, Canada, USA and the UK. The Fellowship will allow Dr Richards to undertake research in San Francisco, Vancouver, London and other destinations. Dr Richards joins 100 other 2010 Churchill Fellowship recipients who will travel overseas to experience new opportunities, to make contacts with the best in their chosen fields and to make their mark on Australian society upon their return.

(Mis)perceptions of crime in Australia  
Public concern about crime victimisation is one of a range of factors that policymakers take into account when creating new criminal offences, setting penalties and allocating resources for policing and prosecution. This study reinforces earlier research into perceptions of crime; that there are substantial misperceptions of crime among the general public, both in terms of the number of incidents and in perceptions of trends in crime. This paper uses statistical modelling based on data taken from the 2007 Australian Survey of Social Attitudes to examine the relationship between gender, age, education and sources of information on crime in the Australian context.

ISOC student competition
The Australian Institute of Criminology is offering five students free attendance at the International Serious and Organised Crime (ISOC) Conference in Melbourne on 18-19 October.

Events

Juvenile justice – a wicked problem. Reflections on a strategic review of the NSW Juvenile Justice System
Occasional seminar - Peter Murphy, 19 August 2010, 11.00am
Peter Murphy will review the challenges of delivering improved community safety and juvenile offender outcomes in Australia. The presentation will be based on the 2009 review he led into the NSW Juvenile Justice System, which included a review of effective practice from around the world. The report and its response was released by the NSW Government in April 2010.

International Serious and Organised Crime Conference 2010
The Australian Institute of Criminology, in partnership with Victoria Police, the Australian Crime Commission, the Australian Federal Police and CrimTrac, will hold a groundbreaking international conference focussed on the fight against serious and organised crime. The first International Serious and Organised Crime Conference will bring law enforcement, criminal justice, policy and research practitioners from around the world together at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Monday and Tuesday, 18-19 October, 2010 to share best practice and knowledge in the fight against transnational organised crime. The call for abstracts is now open.

Young people, risk and resilience: The challenges of alcohol, drugs and violence conference
The Australian Institute of Criminology and the Victorian Safe Communities Network will hold an important two-day conference in Melbourne in March 2011 to discuss the nature and extent of young people's involvement in alcohol, other drugs and violence, and to share the experiences of young people and practitioners in reducing risks and increasing resilience to these potentially harmful activities. The call for abstracts from those working with young people in the fields of alcohol and drug services, education, criminal justice, health and welfare, and police and emergency sectors, is now open.

23rd conference of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology
28-30 September 2010
The theme for this year's ANZSOC conference is "Cross-border Domestic and Trans-National Crime: Risks and Responses" and principal themes are domestic cross-border issues that include drug trafficking, assault, family violence and border impediments between States and Territory's for policing and justice services; Indigenous issues in crime and criminology - positives and possibilities; and trans-national issues of sexual servitude, people smuggling, money laundering, identity theft, paedophilia and associated issues.

Securing the knowledge: the 5I’s framework for improving performance in crime prevention, security and community safety
Professor Paul Ekblom, 26 July - presentation now available
Professor Ekblom, Co-Director of the University of the Arts London Research Centre on Design Against Crime, will discuss his work in developing a new approach to improving performance in crime prevention through a working practical system of knowledge management and process evaluation in this occasional seminar at the Australian Institute of Criminology.

Current issues

National Missing Persons Week 2010 - 2 – 8 August 2010
When someone goes missing, a day spent waiting is a day lost.
This annual campaign raises awareness of the issues and impacts surrounding missing persons. Research has shown there is a persistent myth that people believe they have to wait 24 hours to report a person missing. In 2010 the focus of the week is to dispel this myth. If you don't know the whereabouts of a loved one and you are concerned for their safety and welfare, you don't have to wait before reporting to police. National Missing Persons Week also seeks to bring to light national efforts to find missing Australians and prevent others from becoming a missing person. For more information visit the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre. The Institute has conducted research on this topic: Missing persons in Australia 2008 and Missing Persons: Incidence, Issues and Impacts.