Australian Institue of Criminology

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Welcome to the Australian Institute of Criminology

The Australian Institute of Criminology is Australia's national research and knowledge centre on crime and justice. We seek to promote justice and reduce crime by undertaking and communicating evidence-based research to inform policy and practice.

Latest news

International Serious and Organised Crime Conference Program now availableISOC program now available
The AIC has released its program for the International Serious and Organised Crime Conference (ISOC) 2010. Conference delegates will hear from a range of top Australian and international law enforcement and criminal justice practitioners, researchers and policymakers from agencies involved in combating and understanding organised crime. Keynote speakers include:

  • William Hughes Director General, UK Serious and Organised Crime Agency
  • Gary Lewis, Regional Representative, United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime
  • Steve Martinez, Assistant Director in Charge, Los Angeles Field Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • Professor Andrew Hughes, University of Wollongong Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention
  • Dr Paula Miraglia, International Centre for the Prevention of Crime
  • Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland
  • Australian Federal Police Commissioner Tony Negus
  • Australian Crime Commission CEO John Lawler
  • Dr Margot McCarthy, Deputy National Security Advisor
  • Bernard Hogan-Howe, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary

and many more. See the full program and all speaker bios online.

ISOC Competition Winners announced!  
Five lucky students have each won a free ticket to the ISOC Conference.

Police-referred restorative justice for juveniles in Australia Police-referred restorative justice for juveniles in Australia  
This preliminary paper provides an overview of the legislative and policy context of restorative justice measures for juveniles in each Australian state and territory, highlighting the diverse characteristics of current restorative practices. Further, it provides an indication of the numbers and characteristics of juveniles who are referred by police to restorative justice measures and the offence types for which they are most commonly referred.

Current issues

Fraud against the Commonwealth 2009-10 survey
The Fraud against the Commonwealth 2009-10 survey is now available online for agencies to complete. Applicable agencies have been sent a letter containing secure login and passwords required for accessing the online survey. The online survey can be accessed and a PDF version of the survey can be downloaded by clicking here. Agencies are kindly requested to submit responses by Friday 17 September.

National Child Protection Week 2010National Child Protection Week, 5-11 September 2010 – Protecting children is everyone’s business
Australian Institute of Criminology Director Dr Adam Tomison will be the guest speaker at the ACT launch of National Child Protection Week from 5-11 September. An internationally recognised expert in the field of child protection and family support, Dr Tomison will discuss the findings of the 2010 survey by the National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN). For more information and to register to attend events being held around the country by NAPCAN as part of National Child Protection Week, visit the NAPCAN website. The AIC has produced a number of research reports related to child abuse and neglect available here.

Events

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.

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 closed.

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.

Seminars

Peter Murphy 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.