ORCID Profile
0000-0003-0634-2055
Current Organisation
University of Tasmania
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Publisher: Victoria University
Date: 17-10-2015
Abstract: Reci ism is typically embraced as the sole or primary outcome measure of success for offender intervention programs. Focusing specifically on tertiary prevention approaches for juvenile offenders, this article firstly argues that there are significant limitations in using rates of reci ism as the primary outcome measure of program success. This article describes the Risk-Needs-Responsivity model and the Good Lives Model as ex les of models which can be used to inform the selection of appropriate outcome measures for program evaluation. This article provides three ex les of recent outcome evaluation studies which sought to determine the effectiveness of post-sentencing tertiary intervention programs for juvenile offenders using a broad range of indicators of success. Finally, this article suggests alternative outcome measures that might be usefully incorporated in future program design, as well as the monitoring and evaluation of existing programs.
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 11-11-2013
DOI: 10.1108/JCRPP-09-2015-0044
Abstract: – The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss key risk factors in the use of forensic science in the criminal justice system by adopting a holistic and systemic approach that examines the collection and use of forensic evidence from crime scene to court. – The research on which the paper is based was a mixed-method five-year study of the effectiveness of forensic science in the criminal justice system in Australia using qualitative and quantitative methods. The paper draws on the in-depth analysis of qualitative data from 11 case studies of investigations of serious crime to identify key risk factors in the use of forensic science from crime scene to court. – Six key risk factors in the forensic process from crime scene to court are identified: low level of forensic awareness among first responders crime scene examiners (CSEs) as technicians rather than professionals inefficient and/or ineffective laboratory processes limited forensic literacy among key actors in the criminal justice system poor communication between key actors in the criminal justice system and, financial resources not directed at the front end of the forensic process. Overall the findings demonstrate that forensic science is not well embedded in the criminal justice system. – The paper suggests that the risks inherent in the current practice of forensic science in the criminal justice system can be reduced dramatically through: forensic awareness training among first responders the professionalisation of CSEs continued improvements in efficiency and effectiveness at the laboratory with a focus on timeliness and quality greater forensic literacy among actors in the criminal justice system appropriate avenues of communication between agencies, practitioners and policymakers in the criminal justice system and increased allocation of resources to the front end of the forensic process. – By adopting a holistic, systemic approach to the analysis of forensic science in the criminal justice system, and identifying inherent risks in the system, this paper contributes to the emerging body of research on the social processes that impact on the effectiveness of forensic science.
Publisher: Anthem Press
Date: 02-2009
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 07-07-2015
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 07-11-2018
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2013.12.031
Abstract: Scientific language contains features that may impede understanding for non-scientists. Forensic scientists' written reports are read by police, lawyers, and judges, and thus assessment of readability is warranted. Past studies of readability differed in background theory and approach, but analysed one or more of: content and sequence language and format. Using a holistic approach, we assessed the readability of expert reports (n=78) of forensic glass comparison from 7 Australian jurisdictions. Two main audiences for reports were relevant: police and the courts. Reports for police were presented either as a completed form or as a brief legal-style report. Reports for court were less brief and used either legal or scientific styles, with content and formatting features supporting these distinctions. Some jurisdictions prepared a single report to satisfy both the courts and police. In general, item list, analytical techniques, results, notes on interpretation, and conclusions were included in reports of all types. However, some reports omitted analytical techniques, and results and conclusions were sometimes combined. According to Flesch Reading Ease, language was difficult, with a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of university undergraduate. Sentences were long and contained undefined specialist terms. Information content per clause (lexical density), was typically high, as for other scientific texts. Uncertainty was expressed differently by jurisdiction. Reports from most jurisdictions were cluttered in appearance, with single-line spacing, narrow margins, and gridlines in tables. Simple suggestions, based on theory and past research, are provided to assist scientists to enhance the readability of expert reports for non-scientists.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2013.04.026
Abstract: Scientists have an ethical responsibility to assist non-scientists to understand their findings and expert opinions before they are used as decision-aids within the criminal justice system. The communication of scientific expert opinion to non-scientist audiences (e.g., police, lawyers, and judges) through expert reports is an important but under-researched issue. Readability statistics were used to assess 111 conclusions from a proficiency test in forensic glass analysis. The conclusions were written using an average of 23 words per sentence, and approximately half of the conclusions were expressed using the active voice. At an average Flesch-Kincaid Grade level of university undergraduate (Grade 13), and Flesch Reading Ease score of difficult (42), the conclusions were written at a level suitable for people with some tertiary education in science, suggesting that the intended non-scientist readers would find them difficult to read. To further analyse the readability of conclusions, descriptive features of text were used: text structure sentence structure vocabulary elaboration and coherence and unity. Descriptive analysis supported the finding that texts were written at a level difficult for non-scientists to read. Specific aspects of conclusions that may pose difficulties for non-scientists were located. Suggestions are included to assist scientists to write conclusions with increased readability for non-scientist readers, while retaining scientific integrity. In the next stage of research, the readability of expert reports in their entirety is to be explored.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2018.01.015
Abstract: Forensic science is increasingly used to help exonerate the innocent and establishing links between in iduals and criminal activities. With increased reliance on scientific services provided by multi-disciplinary (police, medicine, law, forensic science), and multi-organisational in the private and government sectors (health, justice, legal, police) practitioners, the potential for miscommunication resulting unjust outcomes increases. The importance of identifying effective multi-organisational information sharing is to prevent the 'justice silo effect' where practitioners from different organisations operate in isolation with minimal or no interaction. This paper presents the findings from the second part of the Interfaces Project, an Australia-wide study designed to assess the extent of the justice silos. We interviewed 121 police, forensic scientists, lawyers, judges, coroners, pathologists and forensic physicians. The first paper published in 2013 presented two key findings: first investigative meetings were rare in adult sexual assault cases second many medical practitioners were semi-invisible in case decision-making with this low level of visibility being due to lawyers, forensic scientists or police not being aware of the role/expertise medical practitioners offer. These findings led to the development of a flowchart model for adult sexual assault that highlights the range of agencies and practitioners typically involved in sexual assault. The rationale for the flowchart is to produce a visual representation of a typical sexual assault investigative process highlighting where and who plays a role in order to minimise the risk of justice silos. This is the second paper in a series of two.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2012.10.032
Abstract: Forensic science is increasingly relied on by police and the courts to exonerate the innocent and to establish links to crime. With this increased reliance the potential for unjust outcomes increases, especially in serious matters for two reasons. The more serious the matter, the more likely that evidence mishandling can lead to wrongful imprisonment, and the more likely the personnel involved will be multi-disciplinary (police, medicine, law, forensic science), and multi-organisational (Health, Justice, private legal/medical, police). The importance of identifying effective multi-organisational interactions was highlighted in the recent wrongful imprisonment of an Australian male for a sexual assault he did not commit. One factor that led to this unjust outcome was the justice silo effect: where forensic practitioners from different agencies operate in isolation (rarely communicating or sharing information/knowledge). In this paper we discuss findings from the Interfaces Project designed to assess the extent of the justice silos within Australia. We interviewed 103 police, forensic scientists, lawyers, judges, coroners, pathologists and forensic physicians Australian-wide. Five main themes were identified in the data: the silo effect was only partial and in each jurisdiction some form of inter-agency communication was actively occurring inter-agency meetings were more common in homicide than sexual assault cases forensic physicians were semi-invisible there had been considerable momentum over the past ten years for practice improvement groups, and practitioners gain more benefits than pitfalls from inter-agency information-sharing. Based on these findings, five recommendations are made for improving practice.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-07-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.FORSCIINT.2014.01.007
Abstract: DNA evidence can be extremely compelling. With ongoing scientific advances and applications of DNA evidence in the criminal justice system, it is increasingly important that police, lawyers, and judges recognise both the limitations of DNA evidence and the strength of the evidence in particular cases. Because most forensic sciences are formally communicated via expert reports, we analysed the readability of 68 such reports of DNA evidence from 6 of 8 Australian jurisdictions. We conducted content analyses using three categories: content and sequence, language, and format. Categories contained qualitative and quantitative items drawn from theory and past research. Report styles differed by jurisdiction and by main audience - police and the courts. Reports for police were brief and few links were made between sections in these reports. Reports for courts were less brief and used either legal or scientific styles. Common sections in reports for courts included: the scientist's specialised knowledge laboratory accreditation information item list results and notes on interpretation. Sections were often not in a logical sequence, due to the use of appendices. According to Flesch Reading Ease scores, reports for police had language that was fairly difficult, and reports for courts, difficult. Difficulty was compounded by the use of specialist terms. Reports for police and the appendices of reports for court often used very small font and single line spacing. Many reports for court contained tables that spanned several pages. Suggestions based on theory and past research are provided to assist scientists to enhance the readability of reports for non-scientists.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 23-07-2015
Abstract: Risk assessment inventories play a significant role in predicting reci ism risk and informing parole and community supervision orders. This article examines the effectiveness of the Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI) in a study of Australian offenders completing community-based sentences. The study aimed to identify the internal reliability and the factor structure of the LS/CMI. The results indicated that the LS/CMI total score achieved excellent internal reliability. There is concern regarding the capacity for the subscales to function independently. A factor analysis determined a two-factor solution at a subscale level, whereas a more erse factor solution was obtained at an item level. The LS/CMI was determined to be predictive of reci ism, but this was a weak effect. The results indicate that the LS/CMI as it is currently used in this population may not be an appropriate assessment tool, requiring further research before an international risk assessment is adopted in Australian jurisdictions.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-2011
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-2012
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 12-06-2017
DOI: 10.1108/JCRPP-03-2017-0014
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential benefits as well as some of the practical barriers to the implementation of a collective impact initiative in law enforcement and public health (LEPH) in Tasmania, Australia. The paper is based on a review of programs, agencies and initiatives that are at the intersection of LEPH in Tasmania, through an analysis of the findings in evaluation reports, and the views of practitioners identified at a workshop on LEPH held at a national AOD conference and facilitated by the authors. The strengths of collective impact initiatives, particularly in LEPH, are presented and some weaknesses identified. Some major obstacles to the consolidation of LEPH initiatives include siloed ways of working and budgets, lack of leadership and political will. Some progress has been made in addressing these weaknesses, although addressing complex social problems by moving beyond inter-agency collaboration toward an integrated model of service provision remains challenging. The authors argue that there are practical benefits to the adoption of a collective impact model to address problems in Tasmania that lie at the nexus between LEPH. In reviewing existing collaborations, the authors demonstrate the value of a structural mapping process to identify ways forward for government and non-government agencies that are inclined to go further in merging the two disciplinary areas. The authors offer some suggestions with respect to identifying the preconditions for a collective impact model and how to build on these to initiate action. A significant proportion of the literature on LEPH remains at a conceptual and theoretical level. This contribution highlights some practical issues while looking at existing ex les of collaboration across LEPH at a state level in Australia, and starts mapping a way forward for constructing more integrative LEPH initiatives.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-06-2023
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 15-08-2015
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-07-2014
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 05-12-2017
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 09-1997
DOI: 10.1177/011719689700600308
Abstract: This paper explores the centrality of gender in the construction of minority identities. We adopt a comparative perspective to analyze its significance in the contexts of internal and international migration within the Asia-Pacific region, the former being within contiguous parts of West Bengal, India by the Rabi Das and the latter from the mountains of Laos to Tasmania, Australia by Hmong refugees. In both cases, gender relations are fundamental to the process of identity construction. Nevertheless, the histories of minority status and the strategies adopted by men and women as they construct, re-construct and resist identities vary in the two erse contexts. We focus on exploring the role of women's resistance and pro-active involvement in the restructuring of identity. Through an analysis of the intersection of ethnicity, gender and class in the construction of minority identities we highlight the need to firstly, avoid essentialist ways of defining gender and ethnic identity, and secondly to examine structural constraints and agency among minority women.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 21-06-2012
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-1998
Start Date: 2015
End Date: 2015
Funder: University of Tasmania
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2012
End Date: 2014
Funder: Australian Federal Police
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2017
End Date: 2017
Funder: University of Tasmania
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2016
End Date: 2016
Funder: University of Tasmania
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2009
End Date: 2009
Funder: Jane Franklin Hall
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2009
End Date: 2009
Funder: University of Tasmania
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2009
End Date: 2010
Funder: University of Tasmania
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2006
End Date: 2007
Funder: Foundation for Alcohol Research & Education Ltd
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2015
End Date: 2015
Funder: Department of Police and Emergency Management [TAS]
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2018
End Date: 2018
Funder: Department of Health and Human Services Tasmania
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2004
End Date: 2005
Funder: Department of Health and Ageing
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2008
End Date: 2012
Funder: Australian Federal Police
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2008
End Date: 2012
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2008
End Date: 2012
Funder: Victoria Police
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2018
End Date: 2018
Funder: University of Tasmania
View Funded Activity