Policing services and the mentally ill: An evidence-based good practice model. Community safety is at the forefront of policing policy and procedure. As gatekeepers to the criminal justice (and to a lesser extent the mental health) systems, the police play a pivotal role in promoting and maintaining the health, safety and wellbeing of the community. This programme of research will provide much needed quality information and empirical evidence about the current practices, policies, and procedures ....Policing services and the mentally ill: An evidence-based good practice model. Community safety is at the forefront of policing policy and procedure. As gatekeepers to the criminal justice (and to a lesser extent the mental health) systems, the police play a pivotal role in promoting and maintaining the health, safety and wellbeing of the community. This programme of research will provide much needed quality information and empirical evidence about the current practices, policies, and procedures for dealing with the mentally ill who come into contact with the police. In a broader sense the research will have dramatic, wide-reaching practical outputs for all of Australia, and help contribute to increased levels of community safety and reduced levels of victimisation of some of the most vulnerable in our society.Read moreRead less
People with Mental Health Disorders and Cognitive Disabilities in the Criminal Justice System. Over 40 000 people are imprisoned in Australia each year, almost half of them in NSW. 40% males and 60% females involved in the NSW CJS have a MHD or CD with many having a dual diagnosis. The appropriateness of the arrest and imprisonment of many people with MHDCD is currently of serious public, social and professional concern. Interventions are hampered by lack of an overall and longitudinal appreciat ....People with Mental Health Disorders and Cognitive Disabilities in the Criminal Justice System. Over 40 000 people are imprisoned in Australia each year, almost half of them in NSW. 40% males and 60% females involved in the NSW CJS have a MHD or CD with many having a dual diagnosis. The appropriateness of the arrest and imprisonment of many people with MHDCD is currently of serious public, social and professional concern. Interventions are hampered by lack of an overall and longitudinal appreciation of the CJS's impact upon and interaction with such people.This study will provide integrated information for the first time in Australia and give CJS and human service agencies a coherent picture of the involvement of people with MHDCD in the CJS, which will assist development of new interventions to address duty of care and human rights.Read moreRead less
Optimal Resourcing: A longitudinal study of work demands, resourcing, and psychological well-being in Australian frontline police officers. Expanding the Job Demands-Resources model of job stress to include upstream pressures on the organisational system, this research will provide important insights into the relationships between psychosocial risks (current resources and demands) and police wellbeing. Using 3 wave longitudinal designs, and 'objective' measures of demands and resources, the rese ....Optimal Resourcing: A longitudinal study of work demands, resourcing, and psychological well-being in Australian frontline police officers. Expanding the Job Demands-Resources model of job stress to include upstream pressures on the organisational system, this research will provide important insights into the relationships between psychosocial risks (current resources and demands) and police wellbeing. Using 3 wave longitudinal designs, and 'objective' measures of demands and resources, the research will extend the stress development literature by exploring exposure (cross-sectional, 1 year) and time lag (2 year) causal pathways. The findings will make a significant contribution to contemporary job demand/resource theories of occupational stress and assist in the development of policies to enhance the occupational health and safety of frontline police officers.Read moreRead less
Cyber bullying: An evidence-based approach to the application and reform of law, policy and practice in schools. In better understanding the issue of cyber bullying and emerging jurisprudence, this study will guide schools on policies and practices that will assist and protect victims, educate all students and families towards electronic discourse and help schools avoid liability and keep them out of court. Outcomes could also inform teacher education programs and professional development progra ....Cyber bullying: An evidence-based approach to the application and reform of law, policy and practice in schools. In better understanding the issue of cyber bullying and emerging jurisprudence, this study will guide schools on policies and practices that will assist and protect victims, educate all students and families towards electronic discourse and help schools avoid liability and keep them out of court. Outcomes could also inform teacher education programs and professional development programs at the university level for educators. These understandings will inform the development of intervention and prevention strategies and potential reform of the existing laws and policies. The study will support the development of safe, ethical educational environments, both physical and virtual, where all students are free to learn.Read moreRead less
Mental Health Tribunals: Balancing fairness, freedom, protection and right to treatment? In determining treatment options for mentally ill people, mental health tribunals must balance the person's right to treatment with rights to safety, justice and freedom from coercion. Much studied overseas, Australia lacks information about the 'fairness' of hearings. Applying popular 'therapeutic jurisprudence' literature, this project studies the impacts of hearings in 3 diverse Australian jurisdiction ....Mental Health Tribunals: Balancing fairness, freedom, protection and right to treatment? In determining treatment options for mentally ill people, mental health tribunals must balance the person's right to treatment with rights to safety, justice and freedom from coercion. Much studied overseas, Australia lacks information about the 'fairness' of hearings. Applying popular 'therapeutic jurisprudence' literature, this project studies the impacts of hearings in 3 diverse Australian jurisdictions (NSW, Vic & ACT). It uses field observations, interviews and file reviews to isolate best practice reforms. Broader than overseas work, it assesses the actual and perceived fairness of hearings, and the therapeutic outcomes for patients. As in Britain, the project will inform legislative reform and tribunal practices.Read moreRead less
Identifying Malingered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Biological Markers for Legal Assessment. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common psychiatric disorder that is claimed in compensation claims in Australia. There are currently no reliable means to distinguish malingered from genuine PTSD. This project aims to develop the most accurate means of identifying malingered PTSD by using the most recent technology to index biological responses, including fMRI, in participants with PT ....Identifying Malingered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Biological Markers for Legal Assessment. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common psychiatric disorder that is claimed in compensation claims in Australia. There are currently no reliable means to distinguish malingered from genuine PTSD. This project aims to develop the most accurate means of identifying malingered PTSD by using the most recent technology to index biological responses, including fMRI, in participants with PTSD, without PTSD, and malingered PTSD. This study will lead to a biological assessment that can objectively index PTSD and be resistant to intentional feigning. These data will significantly enhance legal assessments of PTSD and facilitate compensation resolution.Read moreRead less