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Annual report 2006/07
Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2007
ISSN 0311-449X
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Crimnology Research Council Annual Report
The year in review
This has been a productive year with the Criminology Research Council performing well and successfully continuing to support the field of criminological research.
There were four new research grants approved during the year consisting of an interesting range of research relevant to current and future public policy issues.
The CRC continued supporting the existing research grants and consultancies. Seven research grants were completed and provided final reports. These were:
- The extent and impact of money laundering in and through Australia and the region
- An investigation into serious violence associated with motor vehicle use: is road rage a valid or useful construct?
- The young adult outcomes of childhood and adolescent antisocial behaviour: an Australian cohort
- Getting the story in forensic interviews with child witnesses: applying a story grammar framework
- The relationship between emotional state and other variables influencing successful reintegration of ex-prisoners
- Schizophrenia and offending: area of residence and the impact of social disorganisation and disadvantage
- Preventive detention for 'dangerous' offenders in Australia: a critical analysis and proposals for policy development.
One consultancy, on the identification of mental disorders in the criminal justice system, was completed during the year and published as a Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice paper.
There have been two new Council members appointed throughout the year: Dr Dianne Heriot, Member for the Australian Government, and Ms Renee Leon, Member for the Australian Capital Territory.
I would like to thank Criminology Research Council members for their hard work throughout the year and look forward to working with the members again as Chair in the next 12 months.
I would like to express my appreciation to Dr Russell Smith, academic advisor to the Council, and staff of the Australian Institute of Criminology for their support, particularly the former administrator, Ms Lyndal Spear who resigned in January 2007.
Laurie Glanfield
Chairman Criminology Research Council
Agency overview
The Criminology Research Council (CRC) was established by the Criminology Research Act 1971 and is an integral part of a state, territory and Australian Government funded approach to research on criminological issues in Australia today.
The principal objectives of the CRC are to support research which is relevant to current and future public policy issues, foster the undertaking of quality criminological research and ensure that CRC supported research is disseminated effectively.
The CRC provides a forum for Attorneys-General around Australia and their representatives to assess needs in the field of criminological research and to fund specific research projects in universities, government agencies and elsewhere. The fund receives contributions every year from Australian Government, state and territory governments.
Research funded by the Council addresses the national research priorities in a number of ways. Protecting Australia from crime and strengthening the social and economic fabric under priority areas 2 and 4 are of particular relevance. Research has improved the evidence base for policy and practice, as well as public awareness of major types of offending, victimisation risk factors and effective measures to reduce and prevent crime.
The Council's funds may be disseminated through the research grants program as well as a consultancy program. For its consultancies, the Council identifies topics of policy importance for research and then develops proposals which are publicly advertised. These consultancies are designed to meet highly specific objectives to which the Council has accorded priority. Such research, for example, could be designed to contribute to, or complement, the work of national initiatives by other organisations, or state/territory initiatives which have clear policy or best practice implications for other governments within Australia.
Through the library, the CRC funded research reports are listed on Libraries Australia and also on CINCH, the Australian criminology database which is publicly available online. With hundreds of libraries Australiawide participating in Libraries Australia, CRC reports receive wide coverage. Details of CRC-funded projects, and the reports submitted in fulfilment of the projects, are posted on the CRC's website.
Under grant funding arrangements, the grantees are able to distribute their final report themselves. Many researchers choose to publish in the form of books and journal articles, making them readily available to the broader community. They also distribute copies to appropriate government departments and agencies. Grantees also provide a draft paper which may be produced for publication in the AIC's Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice series or where appropriate in the Research and public policy series.
Figure 1: Criminology Research Council procedures flowchart
Governance
Enabling legislation
The Criminology Research Council was established under section 34 of the Criminology Research Act 1971 (the Act) as a body corporate. The functions of the CRC, as stated in section 40 of the Act, are:
to control and administer the Fund in accordance with Part IV and, for that purpose, to examine, and determine the relative importance and urgency of, projects for which the expenditure of moneys from the Fund may be authorised.
The principal objectives of the CRC are to support research which is relevant to current and future public policy issues, foster the undertaking of quality criminological research, and ensure CRC-supported criminological research is disseminated effectively.
The CRC has one outcome: Criminological research which informs the Australian Government, states and territories.
This is achieved by:
- consulting with Australian state and territory governments to determine research priorities
- providing monies to facilitate the conduct of, or otherwise supporting, impartial and policy relevant research
- keeping key stakeholders informed of Council activities
- working cooperatively with Australian state and territory government agencies and other organisations
- regularly consulting with the Australian criminal justice community as to the activities and directions of the Council
- actively disseminating research findings to policy makers, practitioners and the general public across Australia and internationally.
The Council
The Council does not employ administrative staff members but provides a fee to the AIC to provide secretariat and administrative services for the Council. These include the provision of internal auditing of the Council's activities as well as participation in the AIC's internal governance structure which is designed to ensure compliance with statutory and other external requirements aimed at achieving best practice in administrative and financial management. The AIC advises the Council in relation to the need for criminological research as required under the Act.
The Council consists of nine members who represent the Australian Government, the states and the territories. This composition ensures that areas targeted for research funding reflect both national and state/territory priorities.
The Australian Government representative is appointed by the Attorney-General; state and territory representatives are appointed by the Attorney-General on the nomination of the responsible state or territory minister and their deputies.
The Council meets three times a year and dedicates the meetings to the following specific issues:
- March/April - establish Council strategies and priorities for the forthcoming year
- July/August - target specific areas for consultancies and strategic development
- November - allocate general grants
[Members and meetings are identified in appendix 1]
The Council funds a research fellow, who is located within the AIC and undertakes research at the direction of the Council. This position is currently vacant.
The CRC's sole output is:
To support research which is relevant to current and future public policy issues, foster the undertaking of quality criminological research and ensure that CRC supported research is disseminated effectively.
Consultancies
For consultancies, the Council identifies topics of policy importance for research and then develops proposals which are publicly advertised. These consultancies are designed to meet highly specific objectives to which the Council has accorded priority. Such research, for example, could be designed to contribute to, or complement, the work of national initiatives by other organisations, or state/territory initiatives which have clear policy or best practice implications for other governments within Australia.
Funding grants
The Guidelines for grants issued by the Council for applicants include the following criteria adopted by the Council in consideration of applications:
- public policy relevance
- the extent to which the proposed research will have practical application and contribute to the understanding, prevention or correction of criminal behaviour
- the likelihood of the proposed research making a substantial and original contribution to criminological knowledge
- the cost effectiveness of the research
- the soundness of the design and methodology and the feasibility of the research
- the competence of the applicants(s) or principal investigators(s) to undertake the proposed research
- Ethics Committee approval, where appropriate
- availability of data, where required
- the extent of funding or in-kind support obtained from relevant agencies.
Criminology Research Fund
Contributions to the Criminology Research Fund by the participating governments for the 2006-07 financial year totalled $181,000.
In the 2006-07 Portfolio Budget Statement, the total Australian Government appropriation for the CRC was $317,000.
The appropriation to the CRC was to meet administered costs for the single government outcome. Each state and territory made contributions on a pro-rata population basis as shown in Table 1.
| State/Territory | $ |
|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory | $2,890 |
| New South Wales | $60,046 |
| Victoria | $44,732 |
| Queensland | $35,547 |
| Western Australia | $17,993 |
| South Australia | $13,673 |
| Tasmania | $4,305 |
| Northern Territory | $1,814 |
Table 2 is a summary of the CRC income and expenditure for 2006-07.
| Income | $498,000 |
| New grants | $247,828 |
| Ongoing grants | $356,842 |
| Ongoing consultancies | $141,540 |
Selection panel
A panel comprising two senior criminologists, selected by the Council from recommendations by the President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology, considers applications for general grants. The panel this year comprised of Professor Jenny Fleming and Professor Simon Bronitt. Panel members are required to assess all applications for research funding submitted to Council independently of each other and must complete an assessment sheet for each application. Their assessments are discussed at a meeting held with the academic adviser to the Council, Dr Russell G Smith, who submits final recommendations to the CRC for consideration at its November meeting.
New projects for 2006-07
CRC 04/06-07: Jury sentencing survey
Professor Kate Warner, Dr Julia Davis and Dr Maggie Walter. The CRC made a grant for $174,050 for this project.
This study aims to improve the measurement of public attitudes to sentencing matters and the level of public knowledge of sentencing and related issues. A three-phase research design will survey jurors in trials with a guilty verdict immediately following the verdict and again after jurors are provided with sentencing information. Survey results will be supplemented by follow up in-depth interviews with a reflective sample of jurors. The results of the research will allow policy makers to respond to informed public opinion with the ultimate aim of improving confidence and confronting public punitiveness.
CRC 12/06-07: Further investigation of the relationship between survey victimisation and perceptions of criminality: analysis of the 2005 Personal Safety Survey
Dr Joe Clare, Mr Frank Morgan. The CRC made a grant of $15,801 for this project.
This study investigates victim perceptions that their violent victimisation is criminal. These perceptions will be linked to victims' responses in seeking assistance from police or others. Acknowledging the heterogeneity of violence (incident characteristics, victim-offender relationship, victim characteristics and past experience of violence) the research examines the policy goal of maximising public assistance to victims. This research extends a recent logistic regression analysis of the 2002 National Crime and Safety Survey that provided a better fit for male than female victims. The 2005 Personal Safety Survey allows an extended focus on victim-offender relationships and on family and domestic violence.
CRC 13/06-07: Abuse of female partners in the Bowen Basin region of central Queensland
Dr Sanjay Sharma, Ms Heather Nancarrow and A/Professor Stewart Lockie. The CRC made a grant of $29,970 for this project.
This project investigates and ascertains the prevalence and nature of male to female intimate partner violence in communities in the Bowen Basin region. It will also examine the association of female partner abuse with variables that characterise spousal relationships in mining towns. It shall also provide a reasonable evidence of the prevalence and nature of female partner abuse (FPA) in relatively new, inland communities. Atypical work schedules, substance abuse, patriarchy, women's economic dependence etc. in mining towns may be related to FPA.
CRC 15/06-07: Assessing the impact of 'available street time' and mortality on estimates of recidivism
Ms Anna Ferrante, Mr Max Maller and Ms Nini Loh. The CRC made a grant of $28,006 for this project.
This is a methodological study which aims to assess the impact of controlling for 'available street time' and mortality on estimates of recidivism. For the first time in Australia, the study will provide estimates of recidivism which accurately reflect available street time and the mortality status of offenders. The study will use survival analysis techniques to derive estimates of recidivism for the total offender population and for selected sub-groups of offenders. By comparing adjusted and unadjusted recidivism estimates, the study will provide researchers, policy makers and program managers/evaluators that use such data with either reassurance that current recidivism measures are adequate or proof that changes are required to ensure that decision-making is based on sound empirical evidence.
Continuing projects for 2006-07
CRC 05/03-04: Risk factors and treatment outcomes in intra-familial adolescent sex offenders
Associate Professor Jan Grant, Dr David Indermaur, Dr Jenny Thornton, Mrs Christabel Chamarette and Mrs Sue DeSouza, Curtin University of Technology. The CRC made a grant of $162,846 for this project.
CRC 02/04-05: The impact of penalty severity on juvenile recidivism
Dr Don Weatherburn and Mr Neil Donnelly, New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. The CRC made a grant of $340,868 for this project.
CRC 35/05-06: A population based study examining the impact of interpersonal violence victimisation on mental health
Dr Lynn Meuleners, Associate Professor Andy Lee and Ms Delia Hendrie, Edith Cowan University. The CRC made a grant of $90,249 for this project.
CRC 39/05-06: Parents as prisoners: maintaining the parent-child relationship
Dr Rosemary Sheehan and Mr Gregory Levine, Monash University. The CRC made a grant of $47,264 for this project.
CRC 06/05-06: Adolescent stalking: offence characteristics and effectiveness of criminal justice interventions
Dr Teresa Flower, Dr Rosemary Purcell and Professor Paul Mullen, Monash University. The CRC made a grant of $66,803 for this project.
Consultancies
Practices, policies and procedures that affect juror satisfaction in Australia, $110,000
A consortium led by the University of NSW was awarded this consultancy. The research objectives of the study are to examine the attitudes and beliefs of empanelled and potential jurors towards the roles and responsibilities of jurors. The research is being conducted in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, with the assistance of the courts in each of those jurisdictions.
Indigenous diversion, $74,800
This consultancy will undertake a quantitative analysis of the factors underlying the low rate of diversion of Indigenous offenders from the criminal justice system. The project involves collaboration between the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR), the South Australian Office of Crime Statistics and Research (OCSAR) and the University of Western Australia's Crime Research Centre (UWACRC). Each of these agencies will provide and analyse data for their jurisdiction in a coordinated manner, with a report being produced by the lead agency (BOCSAR).
Ethics in criminological research, $64,327
This project will map the interaction and effect of regulatory process and ethics committee governance on criminological research. The project will describe how research on criminal behaviour is dealt with in ethics committees from a variety of institutions, the outcomes for the ethics committees, institutions, researchers and for criminology research generally. Finally the research will analyse the underlying rationale for these outcomes and provide a set of recommendations for ethics committees and researchers on how to improve the ethics review process and enhance ethical behaviour in criminology research in ways that meet the needs of researchers and regulators.
Reports of completed research
The council received seven reports of completed research projects during the year. The summaries of the research projects completed in 2006-07 are given below.
CRC 33/03-04: The extent and impact of money laundering in and through Australia and the region in 2003
Mr Neil Jensen, Mr John Walker, Mr John Van Groningen, Mr Gavin Brown and Mr Michael Benes, Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC). The CRC made a grant of $87,120 for this project.
This research project was commenced to review and revise John Walker's 1995 report, Estimates of the extent of money laundering in and through Australia. The 2004-05 study was also intended to consider money laundering and terrorist financing linkages within the Asia-Pacific region.
Since the 1995 report was published by AUSTRAC, there has been little work done to quantify money laundering at national levels. The 1995 report considered a variety of sources and suggested that between AUD $1.0 and $4.5 billion per annum were generated by crime in Australia and laundered either in Australia or elsewhere, with a most likely figure of around AUD $3.5 billion, with the bulk of this quantum generated by fraud and then drugs.
The 2004-05 study built on the 1995 Walker report, again involving surveys of Australian law enforcement officials, overseas financial intelligence units, and researchers in Australia and overseas; a literature review; and analysis of official statistics, including data held by AUSTRAC. These data provided a range of estimates, which enabled the derivation of a likely range of the quantum of money laundering in or through Australia. The results suggest that crime in Australia generates between AUD $2.8 and $6.3 billion, with a likely figure of AUD $4.5 billion. Fraud and drugs are still believed to be the major generators of proceeds of crime. This is well below the range of $14.7 to $36.7 billion that would equate to the IMF's often quoted range of two to five percent of global GDP. Also, hard to quantify shadow economy activities and transfer pricing techniques that may involve underpayment of tax, cannot be readily estimated and could increase this figure.
The study found some areas for further study, particularly noting the need for further research at national levels, the need for more comprehensive and reliable data, and observed that there may be value in conducting this type of research more frequently than once every 10 years.
CRC 03/04-05: Preventative detention for 'dangerous' offenders in Australia: a critical analysis and proposals for policy development
Professor Bernadette McSherry, Professor Arie Freiberg and Associate Professor Patrick Keyzer. The CRC made a grant of $69,166 for this project.
The management of 'dangerous' offenders is of crucial community concern. This report focuses on the key debates concerning the policy and legal issues raised by post-sentence preventive detention. It analyses focus group discussions in Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne concerning three different management regimes for high-risk sex offenders: post-sentence continued detention in prison, indefinite detention, and extended supervision orders in the community. It recommends that consideration be given to the new Scottish model of life-long restriction orders, arguing that post-sentence preventive detention should be seen as a last resort in the management of high-risk offenders.
CRC 04/04-05: Getting the story in forensic interviews with child witnesses
Dr Pamela Snow and Professor Martine Powell, Monash University. The CRC made a grant of $32,444 for this project.
Increased rates of child abuse reporting over recent years have resulted in closer attention being paid to the interviewing techniques employed by police and human services staff to elicit children's accounts of alleged abuse incidents. Serious and pervasive problems with such accounts have been identified in the literature on investigative interviewing with child witnesses. This study provided empirical evidence of the importance of using open-ended interviewing techniques for child witnesses in sexual assault cases to assist in eliciting responses with so-called 'story grammar content', which considers the setting, initiating event, internal response, plan, attempt, direct consequences, and resolution of an incident when interviewing children. The research examined the content of 51 de-identified transcripts of police interviews with children aged three to 16 years (with a mean age of eight years). It was found that twothirds of the 9,881 questions were specific and one-third of children's responses showed 'story grammar' content. The two-thirds of specific questions elicited as much content as the one-third open-ended ones. The results showed the importance of eliciting 'story grammar' from children using open-ended, as opposed to specific, questions. It was concluded that current interviewing procedures potentially undermine the ability of children to provide coherent and credible reports of abusive events. Improving the narrative coherence of children's reports of abusive events can potentially be achieved by increasing interviewers' use of openended questions. Recommendations for interviewer training and further research were also outlined.
CRC 14/04-05: The relation between psychological adjustment and post-release challenges to community reintegration for ex-prisoners: development of a multi-variable reintegration model
Associate Professor Joe Graffam, Ms Alison Shinkfield and Dr Stephen Mihailides. The CRC made a grant of $51,337 for this project.
The study examined the multiple interactive variables influencing successful reintegration of ex-prisoners, with a specific focus on the role of emotional state in the reintegration process. Participants were 101 adult prisoners who completed a questionnaire one month prior to their release that focused on prison-related variables, participant background, and anticipated conditions upon release. A second questionnaire was administered to the same participants at 1-4 weeks and 3-4 months post-release, focusing on the quality of life conditions experienced following release. As well, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-2) were completed at each interview. Results indicated that mean BDI-II scores and scores for state and trait anger were significantly higher at pre-release than postrelease, while mean anxiety scores were unchanged over the period under investigation. There were significant statistical relationships between numerous reintegration variables and emotional state following release. Theoretical implications for reintegration theory are discussed, together with practical applications.
CRC 18/04-05: An investigation into serious violence associated with motor vehicle use: is 'road rage' a valid or useful construct?
Dr Andrew Carroll and Professor James Ogloff, Monash University. The CRC made a grant of $15,785 for this project.
This study examined data from convicted offenders in Victoria to examine whether the perpetrators of, and interpersonal triggers for, violence occurring on the roads differ between road and non-road contexts. A case-control methodology was used to compare data from 31 cases of road violence with 31 cases of violence against strangers which resulted in similar charges but which occurred in non-road contexts. Information regarding perpetrators and the triggering incidents leading to the violence was obtained from prosecution legal files. Psychiatric contact information was obtained from the Victorian public mental health database on both cases and controls. There were no significant differences between cases and controls on any demographic, criminological or psychiatric variables, except for ethnicity. Although a sizeable proportion of incidents of road violence were perpetrated by persons who had not previously been criminally violent, this proportion was not significantly different from that found in the controls. Within the road violence sample, those with no prior criminal violence were more likely to be in employment than those with a past history of violent offending. In the road context, the triggering incident was most likely to be coded as an act of recklessness, which appeared to pose a threat to the safety of the other party. Off the roads, the most common trigger was an apparent threat to the other party's status. In both contexts, the initial trigger was as likely to be perpetrated by the eventual victim as the offender. The study provides support for causal models of road violence that emphasise personological rather than environmental factors, and also has implications for preventative strategies.
CRC 27/04-05: The young adult outcomes of childhood and adolescent antisocial behaviour: an Australian cohort
Professor Jake Najman, Dr William Bor, Dr Michael O'Callaghan, Professor Gail Williams and Ms Tara McGee, University of Queensland. The CRC made a grant of $62,089 for this project.
Antisocial behaviour in young people and adults remains a costly and continuing problem for Australian society despite some decrease in recorded crime levels. In addition there is substantial evidence that antisocial behaviour in children and adolescents leads to a range of adverse adult outcomes from ongoing antisocial actions, poor mental health, strife laden relationship and poor employment histories. One model utilised to understand the relationship between early antisocial behaviour and its adult sequelae is a typological approach which distinguishes between groupings such as persistent, adolescent onset or childhood limited antisocial behaviour. The Mater University Study of Pregnancy is a longitudinal data set that followed up children from birth to age 21. This dataset was used to test the relationship between typologies and young adult functioning. Using the typologies described above the study found that while the persistent group had an increased risk for a range of self reported poor adult outcomes, the adolescent onset group also experienced poor adult functioning. The childhood limited group experienced few adult problems. The results suggest policy needs to be directed at programs to both prevent the development of the persistent group as well as intervene with the severe adolescent onset antisocial group.
CRC 30/04-05: Schizophrenia and offending: area of residence and the impact of social disorganisation and disadvantage
Mr Frank Morgan, Ms Vera Morgan, Professor Assen Jablensky, Ms Anna Ferrante and Ms Guilietta Valuri, University of Western Australia. The CRC made a grant of $46,127 for this project.
The study investigated the correlation between socio-structural characteristics of postcodes and the prevalence of arrest, schizophrenia diagnosis and the joint prevalence of schizophrenia diagnosis and arrest. It showed that there are strong correlations between them, but that these indicators of social disorganisation are more strongly associated with arrest and with the joint prevalence of schizophrenia diagnosis and arrest than they are with schizophrenia. The largest increases in prevalence occur for postcodes in the highest quartiles of disadvantage, ethnic heterogeneity, residential mobility and inequality. However, areas of different population size exhibit only small differences in the prevalence of these crime and mental health measures.
Freedom of Information
This statement is provided in accordance with section 8 of the Freedom of Information Act 1982. It refers to the structure of the CRC and the categories of documents it holds, with information as to how access can be made.
Categories of documents
- Internal papers and records, including working drafts, statistical records, copies of facsimiles, interagency and general correspondence, and policy documents and reports (including recommendations and decisions).
- Briefing papers and submissions prepared for the Attorney-General, ministerial correspondence and replies to parliamentary questions.
- Scoping papers, records of consultations, statistical data holdings, and publications.
- Finance, establishment, personnel, recruitment, staff development, office services and funded research and consultancy files.
FOI Requests during 2006-07
The Council received no requests for information under the provisions of the Act during the year ending 30 June 2007.
FOI requests can be made in writing to the General Manager, Corporate Services, Australian Institute of Criminology, GPO Box 2944, Canberra ACT 2601
Appendix 1
| Jurisdiction | Member & Deputy | Appointed |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory | Member: Ms Renee Leon | 18/07/06 |
| Deputy: Mr Stephen Groggs | 13/06/07 | |
| Australian Government | Member: Dr Dianne Heriot | 19/07/06 |
| Deputy: Ms Joanne Blackburn | 24/07/06 | |
| New South Wales | Member: Mr Laurie Glanfield (Chair) | 30/07/91 |
| Deputy: Vacant | ||
| Northern Territory | Member: Mr Richard Coates | 19/09/02 |
| Deputy: Mr Allan Van Zyl | 13/04/05 | |
| Queensland | Member: Mr Terry Ryan | 24/05/04 |
| Deputy: Mr Mark Pathe | 26/07/04 | |
| South Australia | Member: Mr Timothy Goodes | 01/12/05 |
| Deputy: Vacant | ||
| Tasmania | Member: Mr Norman Reaburn | 9/10/00 |
| Deputy: Mr Peter Maloney | 08/08/00 | |
| Victoria | Member: Ms Penny Armytage | 19/06/03 |
| Deputy: Mr Neil Robertson | 11/02/05 | |
| Western Australia | Member: Vacant | |
| Deputy: Vacant |
Notes
Mr Colin Murphy attended the July CRC meeting and Mr Ray Warnes the November and March CRC meetings as observers for Western Australia this financial year.
There was a 91 percent attendance rate by Australian government, state and territory representatives of the CRC for this financial year.
The meeting held on 26 July 2006 was convened at the Department of Justice in Melbourne. The meeting held on 23 November 2006 was convened at the AIC in Canberra. The meeting held on 29 March 2007 was convened at the AIC in Canberra.
At the meeting on 29 March 2007, Mr Laurie Glanfield AM was unanimously re-elected chair of the Council. At this meeting, the CRC confirmed its decision to elect its representatives from South Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia as members of the Board of Management of the AIC.