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A report titled Recidivism of sexual assault offenders: rates, risk factors and treatment efficacy provides an overview of Australian and international research on sexual, violent and general recidivism among sex offenders. Despite the assumption that sexual offenders are particularly prone to reoffend, reconviction rates for sex crimes are relatively low. Sexual offenders are similar to the general offender population in terms of their criminal histories and their sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics.

Foreword | Knowledge about sexual violence against women from Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds is scant. Anecdotally, levels of sexual violence are purported to be high, but national victimisation surveys may not capture, or may misrepresent, the extent of sexual violence in these communities.

The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research has recently released a study examining the sentencing outcomes of offenders charged with drink driving. The study found that while the annual number of drink driving offences has remained stable, the use of dismissals and conditional discharges (for example, good behaviour bond) has increased sharply over the past 10 years (1993-2002). In contrast, the number of drink driving offenders to be convicted/have their licence disqualified has decreased over the same 10-year period.

Researchers and professionals have argued for decades about whether or not the portrayal of violence in the various media causes violence in society. Laboratory experiments, field research and correlational studies have all been used as investigative tools. Some studies have suggested that there is a direct causal relationship between violence in entertainment and violent behaviour, and others have concluded that there is no association whatsoever. Most studies have shown that there is some sort of relationship or association.

In 2006 more than 18,000 victim incidents of sexual assault and related offences were recorded by police across Australia (ABS 2007). Conservatively, this is estimated to represent only about 30 percent or less of all victim incidents of sexual offences as the vast majority of victims do not report to police. Of sexual offence incidents (including rape) which are reported to police, less than 20 percent result in charges being laid and criminal proceedings being instigated (Fitzgerald 2006; Heenan & Murray 2006).

The Australian Institute of Criminology has released a paper that examines the issues surrounding CCTV. In this case, CCTV refers to visual surveillance systems designed to monitor public spaces such as malls and major thoroughfares. Results of research on the impacts of CCTV in open-street settings have to date been ambiguous. Whether crime is prevented by CCTV or merely displaced to other locations remains contested. There is no hard evidence to show that CCTV systems are the panacea for crime problems in public space.

Key findings

• The AIC interviewed 170 assault offenders detained on Friday and Saturday nights as part of the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program. Analysis of questions about alcohol use provides valuable information to support a range of alcohol harm reduction strategies, including Operation Unite.
• Those charged with assault on Friday and Saturday nights were more likely than those charged at other times to have consumed alcohol in the past 48 hours and attribute alcohol as a factor in their offending.