CrimNet

27 November 2023

The Domestic and Family Violence Conference 

09 November 2023 

On 9th November, 2023, The University of Sydney hosted its second annual Conference on Domestic and Family Violence. The conference brought together scholars, advocates, and professionals from diverse fields such as psychology, social work, law, public health, sociology, and more to address the critical issue of domestic and family violence. This multidisciplinary approach allowed for a comprehensive examination of domestic and family violence from various perspectives.

Researchers presented the latest findings in the field, offering valuable insights into the underlying causes of domestic violence, responses to victims, and the effectiveness of intervention programs.

Survivors of domestic and sexual violence courageously shared their personal stories, providing a powerful reminder of the real-world impact of this issue. Their narratives served as a catalyst for increased empathy and a deeper commitment to change.

Policymakers and advocates discussed current legislation, policy initiatives, and grassroots efforts aimed at addressing domestic violence. 

The Domestic and Family Violence Conference at the University of Sydney served as a vital platform for the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and strategies to combat domestic violence. It reinforced the importance of a united and multidisciplinary effort to address this issue and inspired attendees to work towards a future where everyone can live free from fear and violence.

This conference was initiated by the Sydney Institute of Criminology, and is additionally supported by the University of Sydney Law School; the School of Psychology, the Women at Sydney Network; Diversity and Inclusion; and Social Work and Policy Studies.

Urban planning has long ignored women’s experiences. Here are five ways we can make our cities safer

Institute member, Professor Murray Lee co-authored an article discussing the ways which can make cities safer for women. 

Read here. 

Institute Deputy Director, Dr Allan McCay co-authored an article titled, 'Big Data, Behavioral Genetics and Risk of Future Offending'. 

Read here. 

Dr Andrew Dyer is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney Law School, having been appointed as the inaugural Colin Phegan Lecturer in Legal Reasoning at the beginning of 2014. He is the Co-Director of Sydney Institute of Criminology. 

A graduate of Sydney Law School and the London School of Economics, he began his working career, not as a lawyer, but in television, acting in and writing for various sketch comedy shows. He then worked at a large commercial law firm; as tipstaff to a judge of the NSW Court of Appeal; and - immediately before coming to Sydney Law School as a sessional lecturer in 2010 - as a Researcher at the Judicial Commission of NSW.

How should English law deal with deceptive sex?

Dr Andrew Dyer has this year authored an article entitled, 'How should English law deal with deceptive sex?', which has just been published in the Common Law World Review. In the article, he discusses the case of R v Lawrance, where the appellant had induced the complainant to participate in sexual intercourse with him by falsely assuring her that he had had a vasectomy. The England and Wales Court of Appeal (‘EWCA’) set aside his conviction for rape. Dr Dyer argues that Lawrance demonstrates that there is an urgent need for the English law relating to deceptive sexual activity to be reformed - and he sets out a reform proposal.

Read here. 

The 2023/24 Criminal Law CPD Series, presented by the Sydney Institute of Criminology, is an innovative educational program made up of 8 recorded webinars.

Our series covers a wide range of criminal law topics, including criminal procedure, evidence law, and criminal advocacy. Led by experienced legal professionals, our webinars are designed to help you stay up to date with the latest developments in criminal law and earn your mandatory CPD points.

A new webinar will be released each month from April to November and will include a quiz to test your comprehension of the material being discussed.  

Register now for the full series or individual webinars and enjoy the flexibility of watching at your own pace from any location at any time.  

Information for lawyers and barristers
If this educational activity is relevant to your professional development and practice of the law, then you should claim 1.5 MCLE/CPD points per seminar attended.

Practitioners are advised to check with the CPD governing body in their jurisdiction for the most accurate and up-to-date information. Find out about interstate accreditation.

Cost: Full series (8 x webinars) = $300 
Individual webinar(s) = $50

Non-consensual sexual offence law reform in Western Australia

Substantive Law 

Dr Andrew Dyer -  Available now

The Attorney-General of Western Australia has asked that State’s Law Reform Commission to review Western Australia’s sexual offence laws. In December 2022, the Commission published a Discussion Paper that deals with the law relating to sexual consent and the operation of honest and reasonable mistake of fact in non-consensual sexual offence proceedings. This seminar will consider the various reform options. 

Vulnerable witness advocacy

Practice Management and Business Skills, Ethics and professional responsibility

Philip Hogan -  Available now

This seminar will discuss the definition of a vulnerable witness in the Criminal Procedure Act 1986 (NSW) and the provisions in the Act that allow for the use of pre-recorded evidence and provide for other alternative means of giving evidence. The seminar will particularly consider the way a complainant’s evidence is adduced in the Child Sexual Assault Program operating in some NSW courts. There will also be some discussion of Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) provisions that may be relevant to the evidence of a vulnerable witness. Finally, the seminar will cover relevant provisions of the Equality before the Law Bench Book and some findings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. 

Digital vulnerability: Vulnerable individuals and remote access technologies in justice

Ethics and professional responsibility. Professional skills. Practice Management. 

Dr Carolyn McKay - Available now

This seminar will focus on the use of remote access technologies, such as audiovisual links, when working with vulnerable individuals in the justice system, and the developing concept of ‘digital vulnerability’. The seminar will draw on Dr McKay’s current Australian Research Council (‘ARC’) funded research and examine the multiple layers of vulnerability that individuals may experience while involved in legal matters. It will present preliminary findings from initial fieldwork interviews with lawyers and judicial officers that reveal critical perspectives on the impacts of digitalisation on vulnerable people in the justice system. While the research project and findings centre on the criminal justice system, many of the issues are equally relevant to legal practitioners working with vulnerable people in civil matters. 

Assessing witness credibility: Is it possible to tell whether someone is lying or telling the truth?

Substantive law. Professional skills.

Associate Professor Helen Paterson - Available now

Witness testimony can be extremely influential in legal investigations and trials; however, sometimes witnesses lie. Such deception can be detrimental to due process, and can result in miscarriages of justice. Thus, it is important for legal personnel and factfinders to be able to determine whether someone is lying or telling the truth. This interactive seminar will discuss research investigating behavioural and content indicators of deception. It will help legal practitioners understand the difficulties in discriminating liars from truth-tellers as well as the evidence base for various lie detection techniques. 

Advocacy in the Children's Court: Considerations for criminal matters involving children and young persons

Ethics and professional responsibility. Professional skills.

Judge Ellen Skinner, Shannon Richards and James Clifford - Available now 

The Children’s Court deals with a wide range of cases across New South Wales involving children and young people. In its criminal jurisdiction, matters involve defendants under the age of 18. There are complexities in the legislation as to how certain charges involving children and young persons proceed, including considerations of doli incapax and whether the charges can remain at the summary level or should be dealt with ‘at law’ in a higher court. This presentation will discuss issues around the age of criminal responsibility and the committal process in the Children’s Court. It will help lawyers practising criminal law who appear in the Children’s Court, and provide perspectives from the Bench, prosecution and defence. 

Probative value and admissibility in the criminal trial: Focus and holism

Substantive law

Professor David Hamer - 
Available now 

In determining whether challenged evidence is admissible, the trial judge is often required to assess its probative value. The orthodox view is that this assessment focuses on the strength of connection between the challenged evidence and the fact in issue. However, a distinct strand of High Court jurisprudence, running through the common law and the uniform evidence legislation requires a holistic approach to probative value.

Gratuitous concurrence and the role of the prosecutor: Presenting a fair and firm Crown case in the face of sociolinguistic challenges

Professional skills. Ethics & professional responsibility.

Presenter: Shannon Matchett
Available now

This presentation will give an overview of the prosecutor’s role as a minister of justice, and the ethical framework in which the Crown operates. It will discuss judicial authorities that have developed and considered the phenomenon of gratuitous concurrence.

Self-represented accused and appellants in the criminal justice system, and a prosecutor’s duty

Ethics & professional responsibility. Professional skills.

Presenter: Felicity Evans
Available now

This seminar will consider issues such as what a self-represented litigant is; the arrangements made for self-represented litigants in the criminal justice system; relevant prosecution guidelines; practical issues concerning self-represented litigants; balancing prosecutorial duties with the duty to assist the court; and case law that bears on such issues.

Should Deceptive Sex Always Be Rape? Dr Andrew Dyer - Substantive Law

The Role of the Crown Prosecutor in NSW Mr Brett Hatfield Practice - Management and Business Skills, Ethics and professional responsibility

The Reliability and Credibility of Eyewitnesses Associate Professor Helen Paterson - Substantive Law

Ethical Practice for Junior Criminal Law Barristers Ms Talitha Hennessy - Ethics and professional responsibility

Myths, Misconceptions and Mixed Messages: An Early Look at the New Tendency and Coincidence Evidence Provisions Professor David Hamer - Substantive Law

Advocacy in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal Mr John Stratton SC - Professional Skills

The Work of the Mental Health Review Tribunal Judge Paul Lakatos SC - Professional Skills

Current Issues in Criminal Justice (CICJ) provides detailed analysis of national and international issues by a range of outstanding contributors. It includes contemporary comments, with discussion at the cutting edge of the crime and justice debate, as well as reviews of recently released books.

CICJ accepts submissions on a rolling basis.

Editor: Dr Justin Ellis, member of the Sydney Institute of Criminology

You can access current and previous issues of Current Issues in Criminal Justice here.

If you have a book suitable for review by CICJ, please email the books editor, Celine Van Golde at celine.vangolde@sydney.edu.au

Child Sexual Abuse Reduction Research Network; Australian Institute of Criminology 

Monday 4 - Tuesday 5 December 2023

Child sexual abuse is a complex and harmful crime type that requires multi-sector collaboration to address. This workshop will bring together leading researchers and practitioners from around the world to share their research on combatting child sexual abuse, and foster new connections. The workshop will cover a wide range of relevant topics, including understanding offender behaviour patterns and pathways, new investigatory methods and approaches, artificial intelligence and machine learning, the use of offender-based interventions and prevention initiatives, as well as the provision of support to victim-survivors. Register here. 

Symposium: Rural Crime, Justice & Disaster: Impacts, Response and Recovery; University of New England, Centre for Rural Criminology & the ISSRC

29 November 2023

This symposium explores the various types of disasters and how they impact rural areas, including pandemics, natural disasters, biosecurity, economic crises, and political turmoil. These events have significant effects on the social, environmental, and economic aspects of rural communities.

The symposium's focus is on the connection between these disasters and crime, with an emphasis on preventing, responding to, and recovering from them.

For more information, see here.  

Casual teachers for Socio-Legal Studies and Criminology at the University of Sydney

Deadline: 15 January 2024

The University of Sydney’s Discipline of Sociology and Criminology, School of Social and Political Sciences is seeking criminology tutors for undergraduate units of study across the first, second and third years of the Criminology Major, including, for example, Exploring Criminal Justice; Crime, Punishment and Society; and Current Issues in Criminal Justice The Department is also seeking expressions of interest for a Unit Co-ordinator for the Socio-Legal unit Doing Socio-Legal Research. Tutors are also required for units in Socio-Legal Studies, particularly Introduction to Law, Policy and Society and Law and Contemporary Society. Perspective tutors will have ideally completed undergraduate studies covering the foundations of Australian law and social theory.

Criminology tutors must possess an understanding of criminological theory and social theory with related research/teaching background, and have at least undergraduate-level tertiary qualifications in criminology or a related field to be eligible.

Please email your expression of interest and CV to Estrella Pearce at Estrella.pearce@sydney.edu.au by the 15th of January 2024. Please note that applicants may be contacted before the closing date.

Associate Professor/Professor, Criminology and Social Policy; University of Wollongong

Applications close: 28 November 2023

The School of Health and Society is seeking to appoint a highly motivated, energetic academic leader to provide vision and leadership for the Discipline of Criminology and Social Policy within the School of Health and Society. The appointee will be an accomplished scholar, both nationally and internationally, able to locate themselves within domains of focus for the School and the Discipline, while also displaying a strong commitment to inter-disciplinarity. This position provides leadership across research, teaching, and external engagement, thus shaping the future direction of the Discipline.

For more information, see here. 

Grant Opportunities: Australian Government Community Grants hub

Applications close: 9:00 pm, 07 December 2023.

The Attorney-General’s Department is offering 2 new open non-competitive funding opportunities:

National Justice Reinvestment Program – Round 1

The National Justice Reinvestment Program aims to reduce contact with the criminal justice system and incarceration rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and young people through support for place-based and community-led justice reinvestment initiatives across Australia. Find more information here. 

Justice Reinvestment in Central Australia Program – Round 1

This opportunity aims to prevent and reduce contact with the justice system for First Nations adults and young people through place-based, community-led crime prevention initiatives, measures relating to treatment of drug and alcohol addiction, or diversionary measures relating to illegal drug use. Find more information here. 

Call for Papers Proposal: Business Compliance in International Commercial Transactions in Asia Pacific; The University of Sydney Law School 

Proposal Due: Friday 1 December 2023.
Announcement of successful submission: Friday 15 December 2023.
Conference Date: 21 February 2024

Business compliance in international transactions across the Asia-Pacific region holds immense importance for organizations seeking to expand their activities within this dynamic and evolving landscape.

The University of Sydney Law School welcome scholars, irrespective of their career stage, to submit paper or panel proposals for presentation at the conference. The event will take place at the Camperdown campus of the University of Sydney Law School in Sydney, Australia, on February 21, 2024 in a hybrid format (in-person or online presentation).

For more information, see here. 

Call for papers: Journal of Crime and Criminal Behaviour 

Deadline for Submission of Full Papers:  20th January 2024

Journal of Crime and Criminal Behaviour invites papers for the Forthcoming issue of the our journal ‘Journal of Crime and Criminal Behavior- ISSN: 2583-0244 - peer-reviewed journal ‘ Vol. 4  No. 1  (2024) issue of the Journal will be published in March 2024.

Manuscript Submission: Please submit your manuscript by email (put JCCB  in the subject line) in electronic form using M.S. Word by email to: Editor-in-Chief: Dr. Robert D. Hanser, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Crime & Criminal Behavior, University of Louisiana at Monroe, Strauss 216, 700 University Avenue, Monroe, LA 71209, U.S.A. E-mail: editorjccb@gmail.com

For more information, see here. 

Call for Abstracts: Strengthening Connections: The Power of Relationships and Strong Service Partnerships

16th April – 18th April 2024

In collaboration with the Department of Justice and Community Safety Victoria, the Australasian Youth Justice Administrators (AYJA) are partnering with the Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science at Swinburne University of Technology to deliver the 5th Australasian Youth Justice Conference. 

The conference is a three-day event of presentations, keynote addresses, Q & A, and panel discussions. The overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and Māori young people will be a critical focus of the conference, and responsive and holistic approaches to address overrepresentation issues will be threaded throughout the conference program.

For more information, see here. 

Alternative reporting options for sexual assault: Perspectives of victim-survivors

Australian Institute of Criminology 

Anonymous reporting tools for sexual assault contribute to gathering intelligence, reducing crime, increasing reporting and supporting survivors. This article examines victim-survivors’ knowledge of and experiences using alternative reporting options, drawing on data collected from a broader study of alternative reporting options for sexual assault. Focus groups with victim-survivors and interviews with support service staff reveal that survivors and support staff are unclear about how authorities use data from alternative reporting tools but can identify preferred designs for a form. Victim-survivors in particular strongly support having an alternative reporting option available.

Read here. 

Sentencing Advisory Council

The Council has released a new report examining cases in which someone has received a ‘combined order’ of both a term of imprisonment and a community correction order (CCO). A combined order involves the person first serving their sentence of imprisonment and then serving the remainder of their sentence in the community upon their release. 

During the 9-year period from 2012 to 2020, there were 18,144 combined orders imposed in Victoria. The report finds that there has been a significant increase in combined orders over time, with about 3,000 now being imposed each year. Furthermore, as of 2020, almost half of all combined orders in the Magistrates' Court involve 'time served' prison sentences (49%), meaning the person has served all of their time in prison prior to sentencing.

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