Search

During March 1981, a seminar on Aboriginal criminological research, held at the Australian Institute of Criminology, recommended inter alia the Institute establish a data center with respect to Aboriginal criminal justice research, innovations and crime prevention programs. The Institute's Board of Management subsequently decreed that an attempt be made to disseminate the data obtained.

Contents

• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Acronyms and abbreviations
• Executive summary
• Part 1: Introduction
• Part 2: Investigations commenced
• Part 3: Investigations finalised
• Part 4: Most costly frauds
• Part 5: Policing and prosecutions
• Part 6: Fraud control management
• Part 7: Conclusions
• References

References

Download paper: Alcohol and disorder in the Australian community: part I - victims

Contents

• The television program standards
• Community attitudes to violence on television
• What needs to be done
• Conclusion
• References

Key findings

• The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) interviewed 842 detainees about their first experience of drug use as part of the AIC’s Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program. Detainees were asked to recount the reasons why they first tried drugs, as well as why they continued to use them. Those detainees who had abstained were asked to nominate the factors that were important in their decision to not use drugs.

Foreword | Problem-oriented justice seeks to incorporate innovative court practices to tackle offenders' behaviour and problems associated with offending. Over the last decade, the primary means of implementing such practices has been through the development of specialty courts. This paper presents an overview of the challenges associated with implementing aspects of specialty courts in the mainstream criminal justice system. The key issues explored are the need to promote equity of access, resourcing and the role of the judicial officer.

Foreword | Sexual assault has among the highest rates of acquittal and lowest rates of proven guilt compared with other offences. Given that more than 70 percent of sexual assault incidents are not reported to police and only about one in 10 reported incidents results in a guilty finding, increasing conviction rates for sexual assault is a key issue for the criminal justice system. This paper presents findings from two recent studies conducted by the Australian Institute of Criminology.

Download volume 1 (pdf 5.19 MB)

Download volume 2 (pdf 5 MB)

Foreword | International research suggests alcohol consumption increases the number of homicides and that homicides involving alcohol differ significantly to non alcohol-related homicides. The current study sought to build on the limited Australian research on alcohol-related homicide by examining solved homicides recorded in the National Homicide Monitoring Program over a six year period.

Contents

• Worker / trade union violence
• Depression violence
• War-time violence
• Environmental / anti-nuclear violence
• Terrorist violence
• The lack of political violence
• Conclusion
• References

Foreword | Although there are numerous arguments for and against the use of suspended sentences, improving our knowledge of how this sentencing disposition is applied in practice will help inform the debate. This paper provides an overview of the use of suspended sentences in the Supreme Court of Tasmania, as well as an analysis of reconviction and breach rates for those placed on such an order.