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 publications
brief - December issue
Welcome to the 2011 Christmas edition of Brief, the Institute’s on-line newsletter.
The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) has released two T&I papers examining the Pacific Island Seasonal Workers Pilot Scheme (PSWPS), and vulnerabilities to people trafficking in the Pacific Region.
The AIC has over the past three years, undertaken research to assess the risks and protective factors for trafficking in persons and to identify matters for priority research as part of the Australian Government’s response to combat trafficking in persons.
Increase in use of methamphetamine
A new Research in Practice report from the AIC’s Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program shows a significant increase in the use of methamphetamine, or ice, among police detainees.
The latest DUMA data shows that the continuing decline in methamphetamine use since 2004 has ended, with rates of use among police detainees increasing in both 2010 and 2011. Twenty one percent of police detainees in 2011 tested positive to methamphetamine—up from 16 percent in 2010 and 13 percent in 2009.
The AIC has released the 2008-09 National Firearm Theft Monitoring report
Since 2004–05, the number of firearms reported stolen has risen by six percent each year. In 2008-09 a total of 1,570 firearms were stolen in 620 reported incidents from all Australian states and territories, excluding Western Australia. This program has collected information on all incidents of firearm theft reported to Australian state and territory police for the years 2004–05 to 2008–09 and describes the nature and characteristics of firearm theft that was reported to police in the period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.
Events
Seminar
Young Offenders and Marginalisation: Characteristics and Issues
Dr Jioji Ravulo
11am-12pm, 2 February
Marginalised young people who find themselves on the wrong side of the law are not necessarily understood for their social and welfare needs. In this presentation, Dr Jioji Ravulo will review research on the involvement of young offenders in the legal system, and explore effects this may have on pro social engagement and overall participation in the community.
Have you been the victim of an on-line scam, or noticed any new or persistent scams over the last year? If so please take the opportunity to fill in our short, confidential survey.
The Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce conducts this annual on-line survey to gather information about fraud and scams in partnership with the Australian Institute of Criminology which, as a taskforce member, collects and analyses this information to improve the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of scams.
If you would like to report a scam, discuss your participation or speak to someone about your experiences, then please call the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's SCAMwatch hotline on 1300 795 995 (for TTY service call 1300 303 609) or visit www.scamwatch.gov.au
Media release
Seven ground-breaking crime and violence prevention projects have been honoured in the 2011 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards (ACVPA) at Parliament House, Canberra.
Senator for the ACT, Kate Lundy, representing Minister for Home Affairs and Justice Brendan O’Connor, presented five awards totalling $90,000 to outstanding community-based projects that prevent or reduce crime, and two non-cash awards to police crime prevention programs.
The projects involved Indigenous and rural communities, drug and alcohol-related crime prevention, offenders and victims of domestic and family violence, vulnerable youth and the prevention of ATM robberies.
Media release: 2011 National Anti-Crime Award Winners Announced
