Annual reports

Research projects

published in:
27th Annual Report of the Criminology Research Council, 1999
ISSN 0311-4481
Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 1999

New Projects Funded

The Council considered 54 grant applications during the year, 8 of which were approved.

Particulars of research grants awarded by the Council during the year are as follows:

1. Sentencing the multiple offenderDr Austin Lovegrove, University of Melbourne (7/98-9). At its meeting on 30 July 1998 the Council made a grant of $10 597 for this project.

   The research will produce prototypal detailed sentencing statistics, for cases comprising unrelated multiple counts, showing the relationship between the sentences of imprisonment appropriate to the comprising counts and the effective sentence appropriate to the case. This research will also investigate whether in Victoria the sentencing of multiple offenders confirms to the principle of proportionality.

2. An examination of the illegal art market in Australia Associate Professor Ken Polk, University of Melbourne (8/98-9). At its meeting on 30 July 1998 the Council made a grant of $15 082 for this project.

   This project will attempt to assess the volume and costs of art crime; develop models of the shape of the illegal art market; document how illegal art is transformed and the particular methods employed; document the place of Aboriginal art within the legal and illegal art markets of Australia; assess the volume of such problems as fraud within this market; and provide a general test of the market model both as an approach for research on criminal behaviour, and on resultant crime reduction and prevention strategies.

3. An evaluation of anger management programs with violent offenders in two Australian StatesProfessor Kevin Howells and Dr Andrew Day, University of South Australia (37/98-9). At its meeting on 26 November 1998 the Council made a grant of $29 918.30 for this project.

   This research involves an evaluation of the effectiveness of anger-management programs for violent offenders. The objectives of the study are twofold: to determine whether anger management is more effective than no treatment in producing change; and to investigate whether improvement in treatment can be predicted from pre-treatment offender characteristics. The results of the study will have implications for rehabilitation planning and policy and resource allocation.

4. An investigation of the role of resiliency promoting factors in preventing adverse life outcomes during adolescence Dr Bruce Johnson, Dr Susan Howard and Mr Murray Oswald, University of South Australia (39/98-9). At its meeting on 26 November 1998 the Council made a grant of $18 711 for this project.

   This project will attempt to identify the kinds of protective factors afforded by the family, school and local community that promote adolescent resiliency; develop insights into how protective factors actually help adolescents deal with adverse life events; compare life strategies typically employed by resilient and non-resilient adolescents; identify whether the use of particular strategies is linked to such factors as age, ethnicity or gender; and complete the background research that will enable the development of school and community based interventions to strengthen resiliency.

5. An investigation into the experiences of child complainants of sexual abuse within the criminal justice system Dr Christine Eastwood, Queensland University of Technology (23/98-9). At its meeting on 19 March 1999 the Council made a grant of $60 008 for this project.

   The research aims to examine, from the perspective of the child, the experiences of child complainants of sexual abuse within the criminal justice system. The proposed research will provide a variety of stakeholders within the Australian criminal justice system with a substantial and original body of knowledge from which procedural, structural, attitudinal and policy implications can be drawn.

6. A Survey of Aboriginal community attitudes to domestic violence Dr Geoffrey Genever, Apunipima Cape York Health Council, Queensland (42/98-9). At its meeting on 19 March 1999 the Council made a grant of $39 160 for this project.

   The object of this research is to carry out a survey to ascertain community attitudes towards the phenomenon of family fighting. The survey will determine how different sexes, age groups and communities view family fighting; what violence is considered legitimate; and why and to what extent alcohol is seen as an exonerating factor. The ultimate aim of the survey is to reduce arbitrary liquor-related violence.

7. An investigation of dual order young people in the Victorian juvenile justice system Dr Christine Alder and Ms Nichole Hunter, University of Melbourne (49/98-9). At its meeting on 19 March 1999 the Council made a grant of $23 210 for this project.

   This research will compare the offence histories, juvenile justice experiences and life circumstances of protective and non-protective juvenile justice clients. The findings of the research will inform the development of juvenile justice policies and practices to address the needs of this particularly vulnerable population.

8. The characteristics of child molesters and child molesting in Queensland Mr Stephen Smallbone, Dr Richard Wortley and Professor Ross Homel, Griffith University (51/98-9). At its meeting on 19 March 1999 the Council made a grant of $25 418 for this project.

   The project will undertake a major descriptive study of men convicted in Queensland of sexual offences against children. The study aims to describe the psychosocial and psychosexual history of convicted child molesters; examine the extent to which convicted child molesters report multiple "paraphilias" and engage in non-sexual criminal activities; examine differences between official and unofficial rates of sexual offending; describe the modus operandi of convicted child molesters; and determine the extent of formal and informal networking among convicted child molesters.

Reports Received of Completed Research 1998-99

The Council received 7 reports of completed research projects during the year. Summaries of these reports are given below.

1. Evaluation of the Introduction of Tasmanian Firearm Control Legislation Professor Katherine Warner and Mr Roland Browne, Faculty of Law, University of Tasmania (28/91) (1999).

   The Guns Act 1991 introduced licensing for all firearms in Tasmania. It aimed to reduce deaths from suicide, to reduce accidents caused by guns and to reduce the level of violence in the community. This study attempted to evaluate the effect of implementing these aims by looking at the impact of the Act on suicide, homicide, accidental gun deaths and injuries, and the use of firearms in crime.

2. The Relationship between Childhood Aggression and Early Adolescent Aggressive and Delinquent Behaviours Dr W. Bor, Dr J. Najman, Dr M. O'Callaghan and Dr G. Williams, University of Queensland (4/95-6) (1998). (374.360994 BOR)

   The report of this project is entitled "From Childhood Aggression to Delinquency: Causal Pathways". In the context of substantial changes in family types and even family quality over recent times, this study is concerned with the extent to which family type and quality impacts on child behaviour problems. The sample, 8556 pregnant women, was enrolled in a longitudinal prospective study. Details of changes in family type and family quality (addressed using the Spanier dyadic adjustment scale) were used to predict three second-order syndromes developed from the Child Behaviour Check List, which was administered to the mothers when the child was 5 years of age.

   Mothers who experience no partner changes (married and single) report their children to have the lowest rates of child behaviour problems for the three syndromes used in this study. In addition, mothers who more often describe their relationship with their partner as poor also report their children to have the highest rate of behaviour problems across all three syndromes. Adjustment for possible confounders does not alter these findings. Both changes of partner and dyadic conflict appear to lead to child behaviour problems, with the latter factor appearing to have a greater impact than the former. Mothers who experience no partner changes and no conflict appear to have children with the lowest rate of behaviour problems.

3. Risk Assessment Models in Sentencing and Corrections Mr Frank Morgan, Crime Research Centre, University of Western Australia (22/95-6) (1998).

   The report of this project is entitled "Risk Assessment in Sentencing and Corrections". The research explores the concept of risk as it relates to the treatment of offenders at various points in the criminal justice system. The inquiry begins with an exploration of the notion of risk in modern societies. It is clear that risk can be regarded as a core organising concept in the late twentieth century world. "Risk society" is concerned with the future, with control and with safety, and the significance of risk derives from these preoccupations, not from any objective increase in the hazards and dangers to its citizens. In criminological settings risk has come much closer to centre stage. Indeed, some writers, such as Feeley and Simon, see "actuarial justice" as proceeding inexorably and transforming older forms of justice and their concepts. Others such as Garland argue that the field of crime control manifests an uneven and often incoherent mix of policies and practices where the influence of actuarial justice competes not only with older paradigms of proportionality and rehabilitation, but with a morally-charged "expressive punitiveness" which has considerable political influence.

   Risk is then examined in its more specific contexts of sentencing and parole decision-making. It is immediately evident that there are differences in approach to risk at the various points in the criminal justice process. For example, notions of "risk" and "dangerousness" have had, and continue to have, a limited but growing role in the legislation governing sentencing, whereas Australian courts of appeal have generally reaffirmed the centrality of principles of "proportionality" or "just deserts" in sentencing practice, particularly as they relate to adult offenders. The research illustrates this through a detailed analysis of recent Western Australian legislation. It is evident that risk may be defined in different ways within the same Act and that at other times it is dealt with ambiguously or inconsistently. In the context of individual sentencing decisions these different meanings of risk can conflict with each other and with other principles such as proportionality.

   The study then draws on the results of empirical research on risk assessment in Western Australia. It relates these results to the "risk" literature which has come to dominate discussions of correctional supervision and treatment programs in North America and have increasingly influenced correctional administrators in Australia and the United Kingdom. The analysis examines risk in the context of offender supervision. A key question addressed in this analysis concerns the utility of risk assessment in providing guidance about the treatment of supervised offenders and also in the provision of pre-sentence reports. It is clear that there are some tensions between considerations of risk and other principles of "treatment".

   One of the major outcomes of the study is its concrete demonstration of the need for risk to be specified carefully in specific contexts. Risk is too easily discussed in a singular way, as if its application is self-explanatory. Yet, a useful risk assessment requires a precise specification of the nature of the risk in question, the time frame of the assessment, and some specification of those considered to be at risk.

4. Venue Observations Study Professor Ross Homel and Dr Marge Hauritz, Griffith University, Qld (25/95-6) (1998). (364.2509943 f HAU)

   The report of this project is entitled "An Evaluation of the Local Government Safety Action Projects in Cairns, Townsville and Mackay". The aims of the report are to sketch the theoretical basis of a series of safety action projects in three diverse North Queensland cities (Cairns, Townsville and Mackay), and to report some results. These projects, which aimed to improve the safety of licensed environments in the central city entertainment areas, are replications of the safety action model developed in Surfers Paradise.

   Key features of the approach include creating a steering committee and community forum; forming task groups to address safety of public spaces, management of venues, and security and policing; encouraging venue managers to introduce a Code of Practice; and regulating managers through informal community processes as well as formal enforcement. The model is based on prior experience with community interventions; the theory of situational crime prevention; and regulatory theory.

   The results are based on police data and on unobtrusive direct observations by patron-observers of aggression, drinking, and serving practices in licensed venues in the three cities in September 1994 and October 1996. The interventions took place in each city during 1995 and early 1996. From the observational data, there was a decline of 56.5 per cent in all aggressive and violent incidents, and a decline of at least 75 per cent in physical assaults, although conclusions concerning direct causality cannot be drawn. These declines, which did not differ significantly between cities, coincided with reductions in the levels of perceived "permissiveness" in venues, increases in sociability, cheerfulness and friendliness, a range of significant improvements in host responsibility practices and a marked decline in levels of male drunkenness. Patronage (and crowding) increased and prices stayed the same, suggesting no decline in levels of profitability.

   Police data for Cairns and Townsville, but not Mackay, showed reductions in many types of street offences corresponding to the periods when the project officer was active or the Code of Practice was implemented, but there are difficulties in interpreting the police data (especially in Townsville). There are also good reasons for not expecting a close correlation between police data on street offences and observations of behaviours within venues, since many incidents within venues are not reported or recorded. Overall, the police data for Cairns and Townsville, but not Mackay, are consistent with the reductions in aggression observed within venues.

   Assuming some causal impact of the interventions, identification of "critical" components is problematic, one conclusion being that there are many paths to the same destination. However, whatever intervention techniques are employed, a reduction in male drunkenness seems important to reduce physical violence.

5. Evaluation of the Qld Security Providers Act 1993 Dr Timothy Prenzler, Dr Hennessey Hayes and Dr Richard Wortley, Griffith University, Qld (4/96-7) (1998). (344.0528909943 f.PRE)

   A survey of a large sample of security managers revealed scepticism about the success of the Queensland Security Providers Act in reducing misconduct in the security industry. Respondents felt the licensing system was too restricted and enforcement was too weak to professionalise the industry to the desired standard; although there was some support for improved entry-level competency standards as a result of minimum training requirements. There was strong support for a range of reform measures. Respondents wanted comprehensive licensing of all industry sectors linked to a national system; improved training and assessment; frequent criminal history checks on licensees; more vigorous compliance monitoring; and compulsory insurance and monitoring of firms for award payments. National coordination of the States and Territories and the security industry is needed to achieve these goals.

6. Compare and Assess the Benefits of Treatment Programs for Male Child Sexual Offenders in Correctional Services Against the Costs of Implementing Such Programs Professor Freda Briggs, Dr Martin Shanahan, Ms Robyn Nayda and Mr Ron Donato, University of South Australia (23/96-7) (1999).

   The report of this project is entitled "A Cost-benefit Analysis of Child Sex-offender Treatment Programs for Male Offenders in Correctional Services". This study provides an overview of child sex abuse issues and provides a description of cognitive therapy treatment programs in several countries and around Australia. It then discusses the methodological and practical issues involved with the economic analysis of offender treatment programs and child sexual abuse, as well as presenting findings based on South Australian data. A comprehensive list of the effects of child sexual abuse is presented and there is a discussion of the methodological difficulties in attributing values to these. Despite these difficulties, overall estimates of the cost of programs and the benefits derived from lowering recidivism are reported, together with a sensitivity analysis of the results. The magnitude of the problem of child sexual abuse generally and offences by recidivists in particular, suggest the range of potential economic costs from child sexual abuse are substantial and the economic benefits to be achieved from appropriate and effective treatment programs high. Given the application of recent economic techniques to measure the intangible costs of child sex abuse and the methodological and informational problems encountered, the study can be considered a major first step towards a comprehensive economic analysis of in-prison child sex offender treatment programs that also provides a framework for future research efforts.

7. Does the Spatial Clustering of Homes in Which Child Abuse Occurs Reflect the Operation of Micro-social Environments? Professor Tony Vinson, Uniya Jesuit Social Justice Centre, NSW (24/97-8) (1999).

   The report of this project is entitled "The Spatial Clustering of Child Maltreatment: Are Micro-social Environments Involved?". Following an earlier study of neighbourhoods and child abuse, subsequent mapping of confirmed cases of abuse in the study area revealed that they were spatially clustered. Rather than work on the traditional collectors' district (CD) as the unit of study, the data from the earlier project, which had been analysed by CDs, was re-analysed according to whether or not respondents lived within the identified cluster areas. This re-analysis yielded significantly different results from the earlier investigation. Cluster area residents were significantly more likely to entertain negative perceptions of their neighbourhood, than residents not in the clusters. They were more likely to feel they did not belong, to want to move out given the opportunity, to not value association with others in their neighbourhood and to view the locality as a poor place to raise children.

   In an additional small study, human service practitioners in the area accurately identified the cluster areas and the micro-social environments existing within them. This may indicate that, in working to prevent child abuse, directing scarce resources at larger aggregations of families may be less efficient than working within a small number of identified street blocks.

Consultancy: Factors that Influence Remand in Custody

The final report for stage one of this research was completed in February 1999. The study explores the factors affecting rates of remand in custody in Australia both the environment in which decisions to remand accused persons in custody are made, and the outcomes of these decisions. While the findings should be of interest to all Australian jurisdictions, this study has focused specifically upon three jurisdictions, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. The Criminology Research Council, in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Criminology, will publish the report in the Institute's Research and Public Policy series in the near future.

Research in Progress

1. Reintegrative Shaming of Violence, Drink Driving and Property Crime: A Randomised Controlled Trial Professor J. Braithwaite and Professor L. Sherman, Australian National University, Canberra CRC 47/93-4.
2. Aboriginal Youth Suicide: Towards a Model of Explanation and Alleviation Professor Colin Tatz, Macquarie University CRC 25/96-7.
3. The Effectiveness of Legal Protection in Prevention of Domestic Violence in the Lives of Young Australian Women Professor Annette Dobson, University of Newcastle CRC 30/96-7.
4. The Effectiveness of Criminal Sanctions: A Natural Experiment Dr David Tait, University of Melbourne CRC 33/96-7.
5. Shame Management and Social Reintegration for Bullies and Victims: The Prism Project Dr Valerie Braithwaite, Australian National University CRC 6/97-8.
6. A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of the Relationship Between Community Cohesiveness and Rural Crime Dr Patrick Jobes, Dr Joe Donnermeyer and Ms Elaine Crosby, University of New England CRC 7/97-8.
7. Hearing Loss and Communication Disability within the Criminal Justice Systen Dr Al Yonovitz and Mr Grant Preston, Menzies School of Health Research, Royal Darwin Hospital NT CRC 15/97-8.
8. Directors' Misconduct Decriminalised: Are the Civil Sanctions in the Corporations Law Effective? Professor Ian Ramsay and Ms Helen Bird, University of Melbourne CRC 16/97-8.
9. Young Women in the Juvenile Justice System Dr Christine Alder, University of Melbourne CRC 17/97-8.
10. Criminal Forfeiture and Confiscation Professor Richard Fox and Professor Arie Freiberg, Monash University CRC 38/97-8.
11. Sentencing the Multiple Offender Dr Austin Lovegrove, University of Melbourne CRC 7/98-9
12. An Examination of the Illegal Art Market in Australia Associate Professor Ken Polk, University of Melbourne CRC 8/98-9
13. An Investigation into the Experiences of Child Complainants of Sexual Abuse Within the Criminal Justice System Dr Christine Eastwood, Queensland University of Technology CRC 23/98-9.
14. An Evaluation of Anger Management Programs With Violent Offenders in Two Australian States Professor Kevin Howells and Dr Andrew Day, University of South Australia CRC 37/98-9.
15. An Investigation of the Role of Resiliency Promoting Factors in Preventing Adverse Life Outcomes During Adolescence Dr Bruce Johnson, Dr Susan Howard and Mr Murray Oswald, University of South Australia CRC 39/98-9.
16. A Survey of Aboriginal Community Attitudes to Domestic Violence Dr Geoffrey Genever, Apunipima Cape York Health Council, Queensland CRC 42/98-9.
17. An Investigation of Dual Order Young People in the Victorian Juvenile Justice System Dr Christine Alder and Ms Nichole Hunter, University of Melbourne CRC 49/98-9.
18. The Characteristics of Child Molesters and Child Molesting in Queensland Mr Stephen Smallbone, Dr Richard Wortley and Professor Ross Homel, Griffith University CRC 51/98-9.