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As the recently released government paper on homelessness stated, each night there are about 100,000 homeless Australians, of whom 23 percent are sleeping in temporary accommodation such as boarding houses and another 14 percent are 'sleeping rough', that is, in parks or on the streets. Among this number of homeless people are 10,000 children under the age of 12, over 36,000 young people aged between 12 and 24, and 6,000 people over the age of 65 (Australian Government 2008).

Foreword | One of the most intractable crime problems that has arisen in the twenty-first century concerns the criminal misuse of identity - popularly known as identity fraud or identity theft. Computer technologies have enabled documents used to verify an individual's identity to be altered or counterfeited with ease, leading to a problem which, in 2001-02, was estimated to cost $1.1 billion in Australia alone (Cuganesan & Lacey 2003).

The Turning Corners program today received a bronze award in the community-led category of the 2021 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards (ACVPA).

The ACVPA recognise best practice in the prevention or reduction of violence and other types of crime in Australia and play a vital role in highlighting effective community-based initiatives to prevent crime and violence.

The Transitional Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Project today received a silver award in the community-led category of the 2023 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards (ACVPAs).

The ACVPAs recognise best practice in the prevention or reduction of violence and other types of crime in Australia and play a vital role in highlighting effective community-based initiatives to prevent crime and violence before it occurs.

The criminal justice system

Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) has been in operation in Australia since 1983, with a primary focus on reducing burglary, but its effectiveness has been questioned by both Australian and overseas research. An Australian study found NHW had limited value in combating burglary, leading to only modest decreases or having a displacement effect (Fleming 2005). Recently the Victorian police conducted a review of the program in their state (De Ridder & Johns 2007). NHW coordinators and volunteers were identified and sent terms of reference on six areas.

Foreword | Prosecuting transnational crimes such as people trafficking is a complex and difficult task. It is often the case that the people who have been trafficked are the primary witnesses and provide the bulk of the evidence against a trafficker. Yet for a range of reasons, trafficked persons may be reluctant or unable to participate in criminal investigations and prosecutions.

The South Australian Home Detention Program today received a bronze award in the community-led category of the 2023 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards (ACVPAs).

The ACVPAs recognise best practice in the prevention or reduction of violence and other types of crime in Australia and play a vital role in highlighting effective community-based initiatives to prevent crime and violence before it occurs.

This research examines the effect child maltreatment has on juvenile offending. This relationship has implications for understanding criminal behaviour as well as implications for child protection initiatives and crime prevention strategies. Recently, the field of developmental criminology has focused attention on the impacts of exposure to risk and protective factors at different points in a child's development (Loeber & Stouthamer-Loeber 1996). Of particular interest are the factors that lead to the onset and end of criminal behaviour.

Contributors

• Ms Judi Fortuin
  Coordinator, National AIDS in Prisons Information Clearing House
• Mr Peter Byrnes
  Manager, Occupational Health and Safety, Department of Corrective Services, New South Wales
• Professor Duncan Chappell
  Director, Australian Institute of Criminology
• Dr Matt Gaughwin
  Visiting Fellow, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University
• Mr Alan Grimsley
  Manager, Professional Education, Centre for Education and Information on Drugs and Alcohol, New South Wales

In light of the significant strain that alcohol intoxication places on law enforcement agencies in Australia, attention has been focused on the role of police in reducing the burden of alcohol-related problems. There is a growing interest in the capacity of police to prevent, and not just respond to, alcohol-related problems, and a significant body of evidence that identifies best practice in policing licensed premises. Doherty and Roche (2003) offer the following five point plan:

The Creating Futures Justice Program today received a silver award in the community-led category of the 2023 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards (ACVPAs).

The ACVPAs recognise best practice in the prevention or reduction of violence and other types of crime in Australia and play a vital role in highlighting effective community-based initiatives to prevent crime and violence before it occurs.

Foreword | This paper presents the key findings of the 'Youth Justice: Criminal Trajectories Research Project', a project that focused on recidivism among young offenders. It makes a significant contribution to the evidence base as it provides the offending trajectories of 1,503 young offenders over a seven year period.

We’re pleased to announce keynote speaker Professor Ethel Quayle will be presenting at the AIC 2025 Conference, which will take place in Canberra on 11-12 March 2025. Professor Quayle will be speaking on Technology-facilitated sexual crimes against children: offenders, victims and environment.

The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) has today announced important new funding that will support Australian academics to undertake cutting-edge crime and justice research.