Threshold Decisions in Determining Whether to Prosecute Child Sexual Abuse. The objective of this project is new knowledge about the way police and prosecutors make decisions about the prosecution of child sexual assault that could be used to influence policy and practice. Few cases of child sexual abuse reported to the police ever go to court but recent research in New South Wales for the Royal Commission indicates that the proportion has declined sharply over the last decade or so. This projec ....Threshold Decisions in Determining Whether to Prosecute Child Sexual Abuse. The objective of this project is new knowledge about the way police and prosecutors make decisions about the prosecution of child sexual assault that could be used to influence policy and practice. Few cases of child sexual abuse reported to the police ever go to court but recent research in New South Wales for the Royal Commission indicates that the proportion has declined sharply over the last decade or so. This project aims to examine how police and prosecutors decide which cases proceed and why, and how they confer with each other as well as when and how they consult with complainants and their families. This project plans to also develop and test practice tools and principles for police and prosecutors with expected benefits for both them and the families involved.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100586
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$440,000.00
Summary
The Digital Criminal Justice Project: Vulnerability and the Digital Subject. Digital technologies are rapidly transforming the criminal justice system, with audio visual links replacing physical presence in courtrooms and direct human communication. But are these technologies delivering fair criminal justice? This project aims to examine the scope and impact of digital justice on vulnerable users. It expects to generate new knowledge on digital justice and vulnerability using comparative law, in ....The Digital Criminal Justice Project: Vulnerability and the Digital Subject. Digital technologies are rapidly transforming the criminal justice system, with audio visual links replacing physical presence in courtrooms and direct human communication. But are these technologies delivering fair criminal justice? This project aims to examine the scope and impact of digital justice on vulnerable users. It expects to generate new knowledge on digital justice and vulnerability using comparative law, interviews and observations across three countries. Expected outcomes include a model of digital vulnerability and strategies to address digital inequality. This should significantly benefit policy-makers, practitioners and public confidence in the justice system during this period of digital transformation.Read moreRead less
Intoxication Evidence in Rape Trials: A Double-Edged Sword? There is strong evidence that intoxication by alcohol and other drugs is frequently associated with sexual violence. Criminal law reforms in Australia have attempted to break the ‘rape myth’ nexus between intoxication and assumed consent. This project will subject the operation of relevant rules to systematic analysis. Focusing on intoxication evidence in rape trials, this project will undertake qualitative analysis of appellate judgmen ....Intoxication Evidence in Rape Trials: A Double-Edged Sword? There is strong evidence that intoxication by alcohol and other drugs is frequently associated with sexual violence. Criminal law reforms in Australia have attempted to break the ‘rape myth’ nexus between intoxication and assumed consent. This project will subject the operation of relevant rules to systematic analysis. Focusing on intoxication evidence in rape trials, this project will undertake qualitative analysis of appellate judgments, court transcripts and interviews with prosecutors and defence lawyers, in three Australian jurisdictions. It should produce significant new knowledge about whether existing laws and court room practices are optimally adapted to achieving the important objective of justice for sexual violence victims.
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Reconceptualising Indigenous access to justice in civil law. The project aims to research enhanced Indigenous access to justice in civil and family law, specifically in areas of housing, discrimination, social security, consumer matters, credit and debt and child protection. The research will identify and examine Indigenous understandings of access to justice and the ways that these may differ from non-Indigenous society. The research is centred on 24 male and female focus groups in Indigenous c ....Reconceptualising Indigenous access to justice in civil law. The project aims to research enhanced Indigenous access to justice in civil and family law, specifically in areas of housing, discrimination, social security, consumer matters, credit and debt and child protection. The research will identify and examine Indigenous understandings of access to justice and the ways that these may differ from non-Indigenous society. The research is centred on 24 male and female focus groups in Indigenous communities, and stakeholder interviews in a range of geographic contexts across Australia. It will investigate Indigenous-specific frameworks that most appropriately reflect Indigenous perspectives of access to justice, and the way that these can be applied in certain civil and family law contexts.Read moreRead less
Body Worn Camera Evidence and Assessment of Witness Credibility. The aim of this project is to establish how the use of Body Worn Cameras to record statements in domestic and family violence cases affects assessment of a complainant’s credibility at trial. It will generate new knowledge about the influence of: (i) the physical environment in which recordings are made, (ii) the audio and visual quality of recordings, and (iii) fact-finders’ (judges and jurors) emotional responses to recordings.
....Body Worn Camera Evidence and Assessment of Witness Credibility. The aim of this project is to establish how the use of Body Worn Cameras to record statements in domestic and family violence cases affects assessment of a complainant’s credibility at trial. It will generate new knowledge about the influence of: (i) the physical environment in which recordings are made, (ii) the audio and visual quality of recordings, and (iii) fact-finders’ (judges and jurors) emotional responses to recordings.
Expected outcomes of the project include law reform and policy recommendations to improve the practice of recording victim/witness statements and management of the use of such evidence in criminal proceedings.
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Violence, Risk and Safety: The Changing Face of Australian Criminal Laws . Criminal laws have been radically transformed to keep Australians safe from violence. This project aims to complete the first national study of how and why criminal laws have proliferated and diversified so significantly. It will employ novel conceptual tools for investigating the 'drivers', ‘processes’ and ‘modalities’ of criminalisation, and complete socio-legal studies of sexual and domestic violence, homicide, alcohol ....Violence, Risk and Safety: The Changing Face of Australian Criminal Laws . Criminal laws have been radically transformed to keep Australians safe from violence. This project aims to complete the first national study of how and why criminal laws have proliferated and diversified so significantly. It will employ novel conceptual tools for investigating the 'drivers', ‘processes’ and ‘modalities’ of criminalisation, and complete socio-legal studies of sexual and domestic violence, homicide, alcohol-related violence, public disorder and the activities of criminal groups. The intended outcome is new knowledge about the causes and effects of innovation in criminal law-making. This research can benefit future public debate, policy development and law reform decisions about the role of criminalisation in enhancing safety.Read moreRead less
Indigenous Justice Reports: new narratives and practices in sentencing. This project engages a participatory action research model to assess the impact of Indigenous Justice Reports in criminal sentencing on sentence practices and outcomes for Indigenous women. It introduces Indigenous Reports for Indigenous women in Victorian Koori Courts and expands their availability in Queensland Murri Courts. Its comparative research approach identifies how place-based factors influence the process and impa ....Indigenous Justice Reports: new narratives and practices in sentencing. This project engages a participatory action research model to assess the impact of Indigenous Justice Reports in criminal sentencing on sentence practices and outcomes for Indigenous women. It introduces Indigenous Reports for Indigenous women in Victorian Koori Courts and expands their availability in Queensland Murri Courts. Its comparative research approach identifies how place-based factors influence the process and impact of Indigenous Reports on sentencing. This project seeks to improve sentencing processes and outcomes for Indigenous defendants by providing courts with reports that address personal and community circumstances of Indigenous women, provide relevant sentencing options and are accompanied with appropriate supports.Read moreRead less
Community sanctions in Australian criminal justice. This project aims to understand the place of community sanctions in the Australian criminal justice system. At a time of record high imprisonment rates, community sanctions that are alternatives to prison do not have a clear purpose. This limits evaluation of their effectiveness and undermines public confidence in criminal justice. The project will examine the use of community sanctions for Indigenous people, women and people with mental/cognit ....Community sanctions in Australian criminal justice. This project aims to understand the place of community sanctions in the Australian criminal justice system. At a time of record high imprisonment rates, community sanctions that are alternatives to prison do not have a clear purpose. This limits evaluation of their effectiveness and undermines public confidence in criminal justice. The project will examine the use of community sanctions for Indigenous people, women and people with mental/cognitive impairment in three jurisdictions. This is intended to inform scholarly and public debates and to contribute to policies and practices that reduce inequality and enhance justice.Read moreRead less
Seeking 'Closure' in Unsolved Homicide Cases. The project aims to transform conceptual understandings of ‘closure’ by studying the experiences of bereaved families and frontline police confronting unsolved homicide. Through fieldwork and interviews, it will research how police and families struggle to manage feelings of loss, frustration, blame and failure. The project will craft new language and narrative modes to better situate feelings of grief, confusion and non-resolution, and help people ....Seeking 'Closure' in Unsolved Homicide Cases. The project aims to transform conceptual understandings of ‘closure’ by studying the experiences of bereaved families and frontline police confronting unsolved homicide. Through fieldwork and interviews, it will research how police and families struggle to manage feelings of loss, frustration, blame and failure. The project will craft new language and narrative modes to better situate feelings of grief, confusion and non-resolution, and help people comprehend and ultimately even find meaning in these experiences. Results will lead to significantly improved communication between families and police, to the development of more effective support strategies, and will have social and cultural applications far and beyond the justice system.Read moreRead less