Humanistic education for the future 'crime fighters'

Aspiring to a life of crime fighting is a challenging but noble calling, and consequently, the educating of our future police, correctional, probation, parole, child protection, crime prevention, and youth justice officers, to name just a few, is an absolutely critical task if we want to live in a community that is not only safe but also one that allows for its members to flourish and grow. Given this imperative, the process of moulding our next generation of crime fighters in North Queensland must strive not only to impart knowledge and know-how – it should also endeavor to bring to the surface their nobler selves, the best of what it means to be human. It has to go beyond merely educating the mind, and must likewise invigorate their body and inspire their spirit. Employing a humanistic teaching philosophy that is primarily student-centered in nature, and premised on genuinely caring for their well-being and progress, allows for a more effective transmission of not only facts and figures, but also of values, attitudes, and an appropriate ethos necessary for their future careers in the criminal justice system

A prison's social climate, and its impact on reintegration and recidivism

Successfully reintegrating prison inmates into society and preventing reoffending requires a much larger toolbox to allow correctional administrators to go beyond mere deterrence in order to achieve those aims of reintegration and recidivism reduction. While rehabilitative and reformative initiatives that target specific criminogenic factors are important, this paper will however, focus on measures that have primarily impacted upon the prevailing 'social climate' of the prison, that is, 'the social, emotional, organizational and physical characteristics of a correctional institution as perceived by inmates and staff'. The ensuing analysis in this paper will show that the 'social climate' of a correctional institution actually mediates between the offender and the rehabilitative or therapeutic measure. In other words, the social or institutional climate can potentially facilitate the successful rehabilitation of the inmate or it can hinder their progress. To that end, the Townsville Correctional Complex's 'social climate' programs that have been developed and/or delivered with key stakeholders will be examined, and through that analysis, will reveal insights regarding what needs to be done in the penal system so that rehabilitative or therapeutic initiatives can be more effectively implemented

Striving towards a holistic approach to policing: the Townsville Rapid Action and Patrols model

In early 2014, Townsville experienced increasing crime rates and the community expressed fear for their personal safety through various social media platforms. In response, the police commenced intelligence-led proactive and reactive policing strategies to more effectively reduce offending and the fear of crime in the community through an innovative policing unit called the Townsville Rapid Action and Patrols (RAP). This new police unit provided an ideal opportunity for the Queensland Police Service to go beyond merely deterring crime. These police officers would now also be tasked to gather intelligence to assist in identifying the underlying causes of crime; share that information with other appropriate agencies; and help to develop rehabilitative and reintegrative strategies that will engage and support vulnerable people in the community. Whilst there is strong evidence the RAP plays an important role in deterring crime through enforcement, efforts to conceptualise and operationalise the rehabilitative, reintegrative and community engagement tasks given to officers remains ongoing to encourage and cognitively empower them to go that extra mile beyond mere deterrence to help vulnerable people divert away from crime and lead more productive lives

‘He Offered a Prayer for the Flier He Had Just Killed’: Superior Orders at the US Army Trials in Manila, 1945–1947

The US Army war crimes trials held in Manila from 1945 to 1947 prosecuted around 200 Japanese military personnel for war crimes committed against US prisoners of war and Filipino non-combatants. Japanese defendants attempted to argue, with little success, that the defence of superior orders justified their actions. General Douglas MacArthur (Supreme Commander for the Allies in the Pacific or SCAP) was adamant that superior orders would not serve to excuse alleged Japanese war criminals from war crimes. What is clear from the trial documents and other archival material from Manila is that not all sections of the prosecution agreed with MacArthur’s interpretation of the law. However, it seems as though MacArthur’s pronouncement in relation to the application of superior orders may have had a profound impact on not only the Manila trials, but also with subsequent trials in World War II and beyond. This article explores the various arguments in relation to superior orders emanating from the US Army trials in Manila. The trials in Manila show that the rejection of superior orders as a defence in war crimes offered a reasonable foundation and precedent for how subsequent courts and tribunals evaluated the defence of superior orders within the context of war crimes jurisprudence

Demystifying Criminal Justice Social Work in India

This compilation explores the scope of responsibilities undertaken by social workers in the field of criminal law in India when dealing with clients who are either offenders or victims of crime. It provides an in-depth understanding of the socio-structural, legal and practical challenges faced by Indian criminal justice social workers. The book encourages social work professionals and students to consider three major areas: encouraging education and training in this subject; protecting the human rights of offenders and victims of crime; and addressing mental illness within the criminal justice system. It hopes to demystify social work in the area of criminal justice, particularly because of the stigma attached to it, given the potentially coercive enforcement of criminal law vis-à-vis the traditional ethos of social work being primarily about 'caring', 'empathy' and 'empowerment'

Responding to violent assaults against police

This research was the result of a partnership between a multidisciplinary team from James Cook University and staff from Queensland Police Service (QPS). The two year project stemmed from conversations about concerns relating to the high incidence of assaults against front line QPS officers from members of the general public. This led to the generation of the research question of "What are the main reasons why police officers in Queensland are assaulted in the course of executing their official duties?" Specifically the project focused on the five aims: 1. To gain the perceptions of Queensland Police Service (QPS) officers regarding the emotional social and physical impacts as a result of being assaulted by members of the community. 2. Identify the precipitating factors which resulted in assaults against QPS officers from as well as how police respond to potential conflict situations with members of the public. 3. To compare the nature and frequency of the types of assaults against police from urban regional and remote locations. 4. Identify gaps in the training and professional development of police officers in terms of responding to potential conflict situations. 5. To gain the perceptions, beliefs and attitudes of offenders who have been convicted of assaulting police concerning their self-esteem, attitudes to aggression, impulsivity, behavioural and self-control, as well as attitudes to authority, in order to identify the precipitating factors which led to these conflicts with police. To address the research question and aims, a mixed methodology was adopted consisting of qualitative data including semi-structured interviews with police who had been the victims of assaults as well as prisoners who had been charged with assaulting police. In addition, quantitative date was obtained from police and prisoners through the use of a series of psychological scales which measured behavioural and attitudinal characteristics of individuals. Finally, interpretive data relating to the analysis of five cases recorded from police body worn cameras was obtained to identify factors which increase the likelihood of police being assaulted. The triangulation of the data from each source allowed for the formulation of a number of informed observations which contributed to the key recommendations outlined in the this report including mandatory sentences for offenders, better police communication training, a public education programme and support for officers who were the victims of assaults

Road traffic offences: socially acceptable crimes?

Statistics on road fatalities, injury, and costs associated with road traffic accidents make grim reading and yet generally law-abiding people confess to breaking driving laws at one time or another. This paper examines the role media play in ‘normalising’ poor driving behaviours. Using media analysis, we examined the mixed messages in institutional (news reports, editorials), non-institutional (letters and texts to the editor) articles, and the Road Traffic Act (Queensland, Australia). We found there is ambivalence to this type of criminal behaviour and public safety messages. Police and road organisation warnings have little to no effect, and general community attitude to law breaking is attenuated by majority opinion

Beyond mere deterrence: rethinking criminal justice policies for North Queensland

The role that Townsville plays in the process of developing and implementing criminal justice policies for other regional centres throughout Queensland (and regional Australia generally) cannot be discounted, notwithstanding its relatively small population or even its 'outer regional Australian' status. In fact, Townsville has recently become a crucible for some of the most cutting-edge and substantive developments in criminal justice policy-making in the state. What is particularly noteworthy is that despite the 'popular punitivism' that seems to have dominated this discourse in the political and media spheres, many, if not all, of the policies have eschewed an exclusively deterrent response to crime. This paper will attempt to explain: (l) why criminal justice policy makers should not limit themselves simply to formulating determent measures; (2) why Townsville has, in recent years (2016-18), been such a significant site in relation to developing and implementing municipal and regional criminal justice policies; and (3) what direction the Queensland criminal justice system should take in the foreseeable future

Necropolitics and the violence of Indigenous incarceration

Since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, over thirty years ago, there have been over 400 Indigenous deaths in custody, with 28% of the Australian prison population identifying as Indigenous. Indigenous over-representation in the criminal justice system continues to be an unresolved issue despite varying attempts to reduce the high incidence of incarceration experienced by Indigenous Australians. This paper proposes a fresh approach to analysing the violence of Indigenous incarceration using the theory of necropolitics. The paper represents a critical discussion of an ongoing research project that demonstrates how an analytical framework based on necropolitics has the potential to elevate the often-silenced voices of vulnerable populations, such as Indigenous Australians, within the criminal justice system. This is because the study will present a multi-level analysis of the overt and covert forms of violence perpetrated against Indigenous Australians within the criminal justice system and unlock the potential of exposing the extent to which unequal relations of power contribute to these forms of violence. The significance of this research therefore lies in its capacity to provide policymakers with deeper insights into how such forms of violence impact upon and further disempower Indigenous Australians in the Australian criminal justice system

Prioritising criminal justice social work in India: a clarion call to action

This article explains why a clarion call to action is necessary in regards to prioritising criminal justice social work in India. Partially relying upon the existing crime and prison statistics, it appears clear that greater involvement of social workers in the criminal justice system can only bode well, not only for offenders but also victims of crime, as well as their respective families and communities. To that end, various issues pertaining to correctional social work, police social work, the intersections between social work and criminology, social work education and professional training, as well as the tension between legal/enforcement and welfare/development approaches are traversed here