Historical review of sexual offence and child sexual abuse legislation in Australia: 1788–2013

Abstract: The report provides an overview of the socio-political factors and events that have influenced the development of Australia’s child sexual abuse legislation from 1788-2013. Key developments in relevant legislation during this period which are discussed in detail in the report include: the decriminalisation of homosexual acts between consenting males the removal of gendered language from legislation to enable the law to deal with matters involving male victims, female offenders and same sex offences broadening the definition of sexual intercourse introduction of specific legislation relating to child pornography introduction of mandatory reporting laws

Organised crime and public sector corruption

Foreword: In 2006, the Australian Government introduced the Anti-money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth) which increased regulatory controls over businesses potentially able to facilitate organised criminal activities such as money laundering. The implementation of tougher legislation and associated law enforcement interventions may result in criminal organisations adjusting their tactics in order to continue their activities without detection. In this paper, the risk and potential impact of tactical displacement by organised criminals is discussed with regard to the potential for increased attempts by organised crime groups to corrupt public servants. There is a paucity of research exploring the nature and extent of public sector corruption committed by organised crime groups. This discussion is informed by literature on ‘crime scripts’ originally developed by Cornish (1994) and the 5I’s crime prevention framework developed by Ekblom (2011). Making use of public-source information about the commission of such crimes, as exemplified in two recent corruption cases, some intervention strategies are proposed that may be effective in reducing the risks of corruption of public sector officials by organised crime groups in Australia

Program evaluation in a cross-cultural context: Action research, program logic and youth justice in Thailand

Using the evaluation of a multi-faceted juvenile justice project as a case study, we demonstrate how applying an action research approach to program logic development provided a way of arriving at shared understandings of evaluation in a cross-cultural, cross-language context. The paper explores work undertaken by the Australian Institute of Criminology for the Thailand Department of Juvenile Justice and Observation to support the evaluation of the Justice for Our Youth (JOY) project, a complex project aimed at improving outcomes for young offenders by improving the quality of service offered by the Department. We describe a workshop conducted in Thailand where the authors provided capacity-building for Thai officials in program monitoring and evaluation and then worked with the officials to apply the learning from this part of the workshop to developing program logic models and identifying data and information needs for the JOY program evaluation. The utility of Participatory Action Research (PAR) and program logic approaches to working in a cross-cultural, cross-language context are discussed and their application to other cross-cultural situations is considered. The authors conclude that PAR can provide a valuable and appropriate model for establishing mutual understanding and trust in such contexts, but also recognise that the realities of difference and distance can reduce the ability of evaluators to apply PAR in a way that represents best practice

Organised crime and public sector corruption: a crime scripts analysis of tactical displacement risks

Organised crime in Australia has received increased attention over the last decade, with the enactment of legislation and the development of other interventions that have sought to control this serious criminal phenomenon. Although the success of such interventions in reducing organised crime is yet to be subject to detailed evaluation, prior research has identified certain risks associated with policy responses that could, arguably, also lead to counterproductive consequences (Guerette & Bowers 2009; Smith, Wolanin & Worthington 2003). One consequence of enhanced legislation and/or law enforcement approaches developed to combat organised crime is so-called ‘tactical crime displacement’, namely that criminals may modify their tactics in order to circumvent the effects of new legislation or increased law enforcement activity, thus allowing them to continue to offend with a reduced risk of detection or criminal justice action taking place. One particular risk of tactical crime displacement is the potential for organised crime groups to focus more on forming corrupt relationships with public officials in order to obtain information that minimises the risk of detection and prosecution. This paper illustrates how organised criminal groups can alter their patterns of offending by inducing public officials into corruptly disclosing information relevant to the facilitation of further criminal activity. This process of corruption is explained using the notion of ‘crime scripts’, as developed by Cornish (1994), and applied in the context of organised crime. Following an analysis of the crime scripts used by organised criminals in relation to the corruption of public servants in selected cases in Australia, various situational crime prevention solutions based on Ekblom’s (2011) 5Is approach to crime prevention are explored as potential ways in which to minimise risks of this nature

Tomison report

The aim of this report is to provide an overview of current issues for Australian child protection systems, and in particular, to inform the child protection review currently being undertaken in the Northern Territory (NT). In response to requests from the NT Department of Health and Community Services, the author draws on Australian and overseas experiences to describe trends that are currently shaping child protection services, and to discuss a number of key aspects of service delivery. This report has been developed as an amalgam of a number of National Child Protection Clearinghouse publications, in order to meet specific requests for information received from the NT Department of Health and Community Services. The report is divided into a number of chapters designed to explore aspects of policy directions and service delivery in the child protection and family support fields

Tomison report

The aim of this report is to provide an overview of current issues for Australian child protection systems, and in particular, to inform the child protection review currently being undertaken in the Northern Territory (NT). In response to requests from the NT Department of Health and Community Services, the author draws on Australian and overseas experiences to describe trends that are currently shaping child protection services, and to discuss a number of key aspects of service delivery. This report has been developed as an amalgam of a number of National Child Protection Clearinghouse publications, in order to meet specific requests for information received from the NT Department of Health and Community Services. The report is divided into a number of chapters designed to explore aspects of policy directions and service delivery in the child protection and family support fields.Date:2004-0

Tomison report

The aim of this report is to provide an overview of current issues for Australian child protection systems, and in particular, to inform the child protection review currently being undertaken in the Northern Territory (NT). In response to requests from the NT Department of Health and Community Services, the author draws on Australian and overseas experiences to describe trends that are currently shaping child protection services, and to discuss a number of key aspects of service delivery. This report has been developed as an amalgam of a number of National Child Protection Clearinghouse publications, in order to meet specific requests for information received from the NT Department of Health and Community Services. The report is divided into a number of chapters designed to explore aspects of policy directions and service delivery in the child protection and family support fields