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TAG CLOUD
May 24, 2013
ILLICIT DRUG DATA REPORT 2011-12
The Australian Crime Commission have published their annual "Illicit Drug Data Report 2011-12". The report contains information on drug trends as seen by law enforcement. While these trends can reflect changes in police activity rather than actual drug trends, the report does contain some useful information for services. In this most recent report perhaps the most notable trend has been the increase in detections of performance and image enhancing drugs seized by Customs at the Australian border.
Read more of the Illicit Drug Data Report 2011/12 here
Posted in: Research
March 29, 2013
INTOXICATION IN NIGHT TIME ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS
The National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund has published a report titled "Patron offending and intoxication in night-time entertainment districts". The report contains the findings from a study which looked at the alcohol and other drug use by people attending nightclubs and bars in several cities across Australia. Patrons were asked to self-report their current level of intoxication, which was then compared with an objective blood alcohol reading. They were also asked about their experience or involvement in crimes including violence.
Download "Patron offending and intoxication in night-time entertainment districts" (5.23MB PDF)
Posted in: Research
March 22, 2013
SEX, DRUGS AND ILLNESS: WHY YOUNG PEOPLE NEED MEDICAL CONFIDENTIALITY
A recent article has appeared on The Conversation website titled "Sex, drugs and illness: why teens need medical confidentiality", by Rony Duncan, Senior Research Fellow at Murdoch Children's Research Institute. The article talks about the perspectives of parents - some parents believe that the best way to help their children become independent was to step back, letting them see doctors on their own. Other parents felt that the best way to support their children becoming independent was to keep track of everything going on in their child's lives including their health care.
Read "Sex, drugs and illness: why teens need medical confidentiality"
Posted in: Research
November 30, 2012
EVALUATING DRUG LAW ENFORCEMENT INTERVENTIONS FOR METHAMPHETAMINE
The National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund have commissioned a research report considering the impacts of law enforcement interventions on methamphetamine use in Australia. This research report attempts to consider the relative cost-to-impact ratios of different law enforcement interventions for methamphetamine production and distribution. In doing so, it outlines the methamphetamine distribution system in Australia and attempts to consider the illicit profits which are being made from this activity.
Download "Evaluating drug law enforcement interventions directed towards methamphetamine in Australia" (1.6MB PDF)
Posted in: Research
October 26, 2012
THE ROLE OF ALCOHOL IN CRIME AND DISORDER
The Australian Drug Foundation (ADF) have published their "Prevention Research Quarterly" looking at "The role of alcohol in crime and disorder". The report considers a broad range of evidence showing the links between alcohol and crime including things as diverse as social disorder (for example noise, litter, offensive behaviour and vandalism), drink driving and inter-personal violence. The report also assesses the evidence behind various interventions, including liquor accords, "lock-outs" and policing interventions.
Download "The role of alcohol in crime and disorder" (570KB PDF)
Posted in: Research
October 26, 2012
YOUNG WOMEN IN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare have published a report providing an overview of young women involved in the juvenile justice system. The report looks at demographics, the types of orders young women are on, and types of offences committed. The report demonstrates the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young women in detention, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young women 45 times more likely to be in detention on an average day in 2010-11.
Go to "Girls and Young Women in the Juvenile Justice System"
Posted in: Research
October 19, 2012
NEW DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAWS FOR QUEENSLAND
A new Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Act 2012 commenced in Queensland in September. There are a range of changes in this new act, including increased recognition of the impacts witnessing domestic violence has on children. The new act also includes increased police powers and responsibilities, including that police must document reasons for not taking action following an investigation, police now have the power to detain a person in a high risk situation where there is a danger of injury to a person or property and also police now have the power to direct a person to remain in a location so that they can be "served" a domestic violence order.
Find out more at the Department of Communities Website
Posted in: Research
September 28, 2012
ENVIRONMENTS THAT PRODUCE CHRONIC CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR
The Australian Institute of Criminology have published a
research report which looks at the links between chronic criminal
involvement and particular disadvantaged communities. There has
long been interest in understanding the ways that deprived
environments can produce criminal behaviour amongst young
people. This study draws on data from the "1990 Queensland
Longitudinal Dataset" which tracked 14 171 young people who had
involvement in the youth justice system in 1990 to see how their
lives progressed. This study revealed that a small number of
young people went on to commit a significant number of offences.
This paper looks at the criminal trajectories of young people,
considers which communities are more likely to generate chronic
criminal behaviour, which communities carry the cost burden of
chronic criminal activity and how much mobility exists amongst
people who chronically commit crime.
Download "Targeting crime prevention to reduce offending:
Identifying communities that generate chronic and costly offenders"
(1.1MB PDF)
Posted in: Research
September 28, 2012
RESPONDING TO ALCOHOL MISUSE AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
The Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse have published an issues paper titled "Elephant in the Room: Responding to Alcohol Misuse and Domestic Violence". The links between alcohol misuse and domestic violence is complex. There are concerns that focusing on the role of alcohol could reduce perpetrator responsibility for violence - "the booze made me do it" excuse. However, this paper takes a different view - that alcohol misuse which co-occurs with attitudes and behaviours supportive of violence against women, abuse is more likely to occur and more likely to escalate. The paper concludes by providing an overview of interventions likely to prevent alcohol related domestic violence.
Download "Elephant in the Room: Responding to Alcohol Misuse and Domestic Violence" (645K PDF)
Posted in: Research
September 14, 2012
WHO SHOULD BE EDUCATING US ABOUT ALCOHOL RELATED VIOLENCE?
A recent article published on "The Conversation" website poses the question: who should be educating us about alcohol related violence? The article describes the case of Geelong - a city with a long history of attempting to deal with alcohol related violence. A variety of approaches have been trialled in Geelong including identity scanners, CCTV and in June 2008 a media campaign commenced, called "Just Think". The "Just Think" campaign was driven by the alcohol industry funded organisation "Drink Wise" and involved high profile local sports people with the message "We're not saying don't drink, we're saying just think." These ads appeared in a variety of local media, yet when researchers evaluated the campaign they found increases in alcohol related assaults and injuries presenting to the local hospital. The failure of this campaign was not reported in local media, who had received money to run the ads. Instead, local media reported that police and local government responses had failed to address alcohol related violence in the Geelong area.
Read more from "The Conversation" website.
Posted in: Research
