Library Resources for Criminology & Justice: News and Events

The stories listed on this bulletin are provided for information purposes only. They are included to reflect current events and community opinion relating to issues studied by students at ACAP. They do not reflect the views of ACAP.

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Alcohol, tobacco & other drugs in Australia
AIHW, 13/12/24
Alcohol, tobacco and other drug use is a major cause of preventable disease, illness and death in Australia. This report consolidates recent information on the availability and consumption of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in Australia, and related impacts, harms and treatment.

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From ‘ghost guns’ to gangs, 5 lessons from Canada for NZ firearms reform By Alexander Gillespie
The Conversation, 13/12/24
Canada and New Zealand share an important approach to gun control: both countries view firearms as a privilege, not a right.

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New factsheets identify how many people commit serious offences on a community correction order
Sentencing Council, 12/12/24
The Sentencing Advisory Council has today published two new factsheets examining the number of people who commit serious violent or sexual offences while serving a community correction order (CCO).
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The overlap between viewing child sexual abuse material and fringe or radical content online By T. Cubitt, A.  Morgan, & R. Brown
Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 708. Australian Institute of Criminology, 11/12/24
Drawing on a survey of 13,302 online Australians, this study examines the characteristics and behaviours of respondents who viewed child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and fringe or radical content online, or both.

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Comic book killer Leonard Lawson's art to be covered up at old Grafton Gaol By Elloise Farrow-Smith, Hannah Ross and Julie Ray
ABC, 10/12/24
New South Wales Health intends to cover up murals painted by convicted murderer and rapist Leonard Lawson on the walls of the old Grafton Gaol.

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Preschool intervention can reduce youth crime, Queensland study finds By James Taylor
ABC, 10/12/24
A new study has found early interventions targeting preschoolers can halve the rate of juvenile offending.
The researchers say if the findings are implemented it could "transform the social landscape in Queensland within a decade".

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Exposure to and sharing of fringe or radical content online By T. Cubitt, A. Morgan
Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 705. Australian Institute of Criminology, 10/12/24
Using a large, national survey of online Australians, we measured unintentional and intentional exposure to fringe or radical content and groups online. Efforts to restrict access to radical content and groups online, especially on mainstream platforms, may help reduce intentional and unintentional exposure to and sharing of that content.

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Mental health of people in Australia's prisons
AIHW, 10/12/24
51% of prison entrants reported being told at some point in their lives that they had a mental health condition.
More than 2 in 5 prison entrants (43%) reported high or very high levels of psychological distress.
 

Rates of youth radicalisation are climbing in Australia and abroad. Here’s what to look out for By Greg Barton
The Conversation, 06/12/24
When the police and intelligence agencies of the five nations of the Five Eyes intelligence community come together and release a report, it’s a significant event. The report, released on December 6, is the first of its kind. It’s remarkable that it focuses on youth radicalisation...

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Right wing extremist movements in Australia
Senate Standing Committees on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, 06/12/24
The objective of this inquiry is to examine the:
 nature and extent of right wing extremist (RWE) movements in Australia 
and the links they have with similar movements overseas;
 role of the online environment in radicalisation and the promotion of 
extremist ideas; and
 measures that could be adopted to counter the threat posed by extremist 
movements

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Why is soccer fandom so linked to violence? By Milad Haghani
The Conversation, 06/12/24
Soccer crowds are especially prone to violence, which raises a pressing question: what is it about soccer and its fan culture that makes such incidents more likely to occur?

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The cruelty of the ‘greater good’ By Patrick West
Spiked (UK), 06/12/24
From assisted dying to Covid lockdowns, a utilitarian aversion to harm is diminishing our humanity.

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A decade-long study reveals concerning trend of young women committing online sexual offences By Larissa Christensen, Isabelle Hull, Nadine McKillop, & Susan Rayment-McHugh
The Conversation, 04/12/24
Concerningly, research has found more than one-third of young Australian women (aged 14–17 years) have sent, or have asked or been asked to show or share nude (or nearly nude) images or videos.

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Australia’s social media ban for kids under 16 just became law. How it will work remains a mystery By Lisa M. Given
The Conversation, 04/12/24
The federal parliament has passed legislation to ban people under 16 from having an account with some social media platforms.

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Whole of society discussion: Peak specialist medical body issues demand for drug decriminalisation By Tom Hartley
ABC, 03/12/24
The RACP disclosed its new position statement exclusively to 7.30 ahead of the concluding sessions of the NSW Drug Summit in Sydney. "We think it's time we have a whole of society discussion about where we want to be in this area, and where we actually want to put our funds to prevent people from getting into those cycles of ill health, and popping in and out of institutions and incarceration,"

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What is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham? And how did the Islamist group evolve into a key player in Syria’s civil war? By Sara Harmouch
The Conversation, 03/12/24
A major offensive has seen rebel groups in Syria retake the country’s second city, Aleppo – and demonstrated the growing prominence of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the 13-year-long civil war.

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Indigenous women are dying violent, preventable deaths. Endless inquiries won’t help unless we act By Kyllie Cripps & Marlene Longbottom
The Conversation, 03/12/24
Recently, a landmark coronial inquiry into the deaths of four Indigenous women from domestic and family violence in the Northern Territory released its findings after a year-long investigation.

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What does a human life cost – and is it ethical to price it? Jenny Kleeman asked a hitman, philanthropists and a life insurer 
The Conversation, 03/12/24
What is your life worth, in dollar terms? The answers may surprise you. The asking price for murder, for example, is disconcertingly low.

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How Usman Khan slipped through the net By Ian Acheson
Spiked (UK), 01/12/24
Five years ago, the ‘rehabilitated’ terrorist went on a murderous rampage in London Bridge.