The University of Sydney

Justice Collaboration

8th Edition, February 2025

Welcome to the eighth edition of our newsletter!

The University of Sydney's Justice Collaboration aims to improve justice outcomes and to ultimately prevent crime.

The University of Sydney has numerous strengths in this area and has a track record of work across disciplines, faculties and research centres directly and indirectly relevant to justice systems and people in conflict with the law.

In this edition we highlight recent publications and upcoming events from across the university. We also announce our selection as a Sydney Policy Lab node.

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If you are not already subscribed and would like to receive these updates, please follow the link here or email justice.law@sydney.edu.au

The University of Sydney’s central campus sits on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation and has campuses as well as teaching and research facilities situated on the ancestral lands of the Wangal, Deerubbin, Tharawal, Ngunnawal, Wiradjuri, Gamilaroi, Bundjulong, Wiljali and Gereng Gureng peoples. We pay our respects to elders, past, present, and emerging who have cared and continue to care for Country.

New models of care needed to meet increasing youth mental health demand

A recent review of clinical data from headspace has found that the national service for young people experiencing psychological distress is struggling to meet demand. Data suggests approximately 75% of headspace attendees require substantive clinical care. Clinical outcomes data from all sources indicate limited impacts on functional outcomes, with less than a third achieving significant improvement. Two-thirds either remain the same or deteriorate.

As demand for youth services continues to rise, there is an urgent need to reconfigure the national youth service networks to address the unmet clinical and psychosocial needs of youth presenting in the early stages of major mental disorders. This could include senior clinicians being involved in the diagnosis of young people at an earlier stage; increasing the use of online assessments to determine the severity of a client’s psychological distress; and having a consistent approach to psychological assessments to ensure a national standard.

The review, led by Professor Ian Hickie and Dr Frank Iorfino from the Brain and Mind Centre, was published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. More about the research can be read here.

Researcher Highlight: Exercise Physiology in Criminal Justice Settings

A small team from the University of Sydney in partnership with colleagues in industry, have come together to explore the role of Accredited Exercise Physiologists in criminal justice settings. With significant levels of mental illness, disabilities and diverse health needs, inmates and detainees are likely to benefit greatly from services provided Accredited Exercise Physiologists within their scope of practice and as part of multidisciplinary approach to health care. The team has facilitated two student projects as part of the Discipline of Exercise and Sport Science’s Project-Based Learning Initiative in youth justice settings focusing on exercise delivery within high-risk youth while another group focused on presenting a value analysis of Exercise Physiology within justice system more broadly. Other groups of students have engaged with a forensic hospital where students designed exercise-focused education and activities with Indigenous consumers within the hospital. Through experiences gained via these placements, it is clear that Accredited Exercise Physiologists could play an important role in the growing work of Allied Health Professionals in criminal justice settings.

The team is led by Dr Timothy Davies and includes Professor Jeanette Thom, Associate Professor Gillian Nisbet, Dr Jennifer Fleeton, Amanda Semaan, and Associate Professor Garner Clancey.

2025 Industry and Community Project Unit to collaborate with NSW Police

Industry and Community Project Units (ICPUs) provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to work on authentic problems and issues set out by industry, community and government organisations. This semester students will be working on a project for NSW Police.

NSW is facing persistent and evolving challenges related to youth behaviour and offending in both regional and metropolitan areas, driven by complex sociological and technological factors. NSW Police seeks to collaborate with University of Sydney to better understand these issues from a youth perspective and develop innovative recommendations and insights. Key questions include whether the Young Offenders Act effectively addresses the needs of today’s youth, if the justice system appropriately differentiates between age groups within the 10–17 range, and how age influences children’s understanding of legal proceedings. Addressing these questions is critical to ensuring the justice system supports the evolving needs of youth and fosters safer communities for future generations.

You can read more about the unit here.

If you would like to enquire into partnering with the university for an IPCU you can do so here.

Research Centre Highlight: Sydney Policy Lab

The Sydney Policy Lab was created by the University of Sydney in 2018 to be a non-partisan space where people from all walks of life gather to set the agenda, experiment and make public policy that transforms lives. The Lab’s prime focus is on and with the community, working with people who have been excluded from decision-making, leadership and power.

One such project is Australia Cares. This project was founded in 2022 to enable community-led policy development for care systems shaped by lived experience, and community and academic expertise. The Policy Lab has run online and place-based assemblies on care to allow community members to participate in and lead policymaking.

The report arising out of phase one of the project can be read here. The second phase of the project – Championing Australia’s Relational Economy – seeks to elevate care in society. More information about phase can be found here. You can sign up to the Policy Lab’s newsletter here.

Justice Collaboration joins Sydney Policy Lab as node

We are pleased to announce that we have been selected as a Sydney Policy Lab node. Each of the Lab's seven nodes is a group of academics and community members with a shared interest in a specific public policy area or methodology that can transform lives. They are convened by two or more University of Sydney researchers who are joined by early- and mid-career researchers as founding members.

With Lab support and seed funding, node members will share existing work, create space for collaboration and nurture future full-scale Lab research projects. As a Sydney Policy lab node we will focus on supporting and improving criminal justice policy, including through student-led projects, engaged research, and joint training and education. We look forward to working with the Sydney Policy Lab team over the coming year!

More information about nodes at the Lab can be accessed here.

NSW Law Reform Commission and Sentencing Council Internship Program

Applications for the 2025 Internship Program with the NSW Law Reform Commission and NSW Sentencing Council are now open.

Interns contribute to research, drafting and consultation tasks to support the work of these bodies. Interns usually start with us between May and August. The Internship Program offers four weeks of paid work (or equivalent - there is an option to work part time). Only penultimate and final year law students can apply.

Applications close on Sunday, 16 March 2025 at 11:59pm AEST. Please apply through iworkforNSW.

More information about the program can be found on the NSW Law Reform Commission's internship program webpage.

AI & the Digitalisation of Policing: Exploring the Role of Emerging Technologies on Criminal Justice

The University of Sydney China Studies Centre, University of Sydney Business School and School of Social and Political Sciences is hosting a hybrid research and practice symposium on Friday March 21.

The digitalisation of policing through the implementation of emerging technologies represents a critical juncture in transforming law enforcement agencies worldwide. This panel will include an in-depth exploration of smart policing, with a particular focus on the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within law enforcement. This symposium will explore the role of technology on policing and the impact this intersection has on civil society. It will explore policing, surveillance, and public safety in various countries, including China, Australia, and the UK.

This session will explore both the positive and negative impacts of technology on policing, fostering a comprehensive dialogue among scholars, practitioners, and policymakers. By examining emerging technologies and their implications, participants will gain insights into how to harness inclusive technological innovations effectively while addressing ethical, legal, and operational concerns.

You can find out more about the symposium and register your attendance here.

If you are not already subscribed and would like to receive these updates, please follow the link here or email justice.law@sydney.edu.au

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