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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Lucy Letby did not murder babies, medical experts claim
ABC, 05/02/25
A neonatal doctor whose research was used to help convict British nurse Lucy Letby over deaths of seven babies says he believes the infants were not murdered.

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Report on Government Services 2025
Productivity Commission, 04/02/25
Part C Justice includes performance reporting for Police services, Courts and Corrective services.

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The AEC wants to stop AI and misinformation. But it’s up against a problem that is deep and dark By Susan Grantham
The Conversation, 03/02/25
The upcoming federal election will see an influx of deepfakes, doctored images, and tailored narratives that blur the line between fact and fiction.

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The far-right is rising at a crucial time in Germany, boosted by Elon Musk By Matt Fitzpatrick
The Conversation, 01/02/25
With only a few weeks until Germany’s election, Elon Musk has unambiguously thrown his support behind the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. In a video address to a party rally last week, he appeared to urge Germans to “move on” from any “past guilt” related to the Holocaust.

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As antisemitic attacks reach ‘disturbing’ levels, is strengthening hate crime laws the answer? By Keiran Hardy
The Conversation, 30/01/25
Responding quickly to the growing crisis around antisemitic attacks is understandable, but greater long-term investments must also be made to prevent extreme, hateful beliefs from developing in our communities in the first place.

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What is a ‘crime scene’, really? An expert explains how it’s more than just blue police tape By Vincent Hurley
The Conversation, 29/01/25
Decades of forensic TV dramas have resulted in the “CSI effect” – the idea that finding, collecting and analysing evidence at a crime scene is straightforward, and that the evidence is infallible. This is not so. But shows like CSI have also spawned a generation of people interested in becoming real crime scene investigators and forensic scientists.

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Artificial Intelligence in Victoria’s Courts and Tribunals: Consultation Paper
Victorian Law Reform Commission, 10/24
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are rapidly evolving, with their application increasing across society. There is potential for the use of AI in Victoria’s courts and tribunals to improve user experiences and generate efficiencies. The use of AI tools carries both risks and opportunities for fairness, accountability, transparency and privacy as well as improvements to accessibility. The Victorian Law Reform Commission (the Commission) is asked to make recommendations on legislative reform opportunities and principles to guide the safe use of AI in Victoria’s courts and tribunals. More papers on this topic to follow in 2025.

The impacts of sexual extortion on minors: A systematic review By H. Wolbers, T. Cubitt, R. Carter & S. Napier 
Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 710. Australian Institute of Criminology, 23/01/25
Sexual extortion of children is a growing global issue in which a perpetrator threatens to distribute intimate material of a victim unless they comply with certain demands.
This study systematically reviewed research into the impacts of sexual extortion victimisation on minors. Twelve studies were included, which varied methodologically. 

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Prisons don’t create safer communities, so why is Australia spending billions on building them? By Emma Russell
The Conversation, 23/01/25
As of January, the Northern Territory hit a grim milestone. More than 1% of the territory’s total population is now incarcerated in adult prison. This is the first time this has happened in any Australian jurisdiction.

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Alarming increase in 3D-printed 'ghost guns' By Alysia Thomas-Sam & Mike Lorigan
ABC, 23/01/25
It is illegal to make a 3D-printed firearm in Australia — and the possession of a digital blueprint to create one is an offence in some states.

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Artificial intelligence and child sexual abuse: A rapid evidence assessment By H. Wolbers, T. Cubitt, & M. Cahill
Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 711. Australian Institute of Criminology, 22/01/25
This study examined the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and child sexual abuse (CSA), employing a rapid evidence assessment of research on the uses of AI for the prevention and disruption of CSA, and the ways in which AI is used in CSA offending. Research from January 2010 to March 2024 was reviewed, identifying 33 empirical studies. 

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Supporting incarcerated mothers: A mixed methods evaluation of the NSW Co-Located Caseworker Program By A. Gibson, M. Remond, P. MacGillivray, E. Baldry, E. Sullivan
Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 709. Australian Institute of Criminology, 21/01/25
The NSW Co-Located Caseworker Program was established to support women in custody who have children involved in the child protection system. Under the program, child protection caseworkers are ‘co-located’ in NSW correctional centres. We undertook a mixed-methods evaluation of the program by analysing data from Corrective Service NSW’s Offender Integrated Management System and conducting 48 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, including 25 women in custody. 

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Don’t rely on social media users for fact-checking. Many don’t care much about the common good By Mark Andrejevic
The Conversation, 21/01/25
In the wake of Donald Trump’s election victory, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg fired the fact-checking team for his company’s social media platforms. At the same time, he reversed Facebook’s turn away from political content. The decision is widely viewed as placating an incoming president with a known penchant for mangling the truth. 

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The Human Rights Commission has handed down a report on racism at Australian universities. Here’s why it fails By Chelsea Watego, Alissa Macoun, David Singh, Elizabeth Strakosch & Kevin Yow Yeh
The Conversation, 16/01/25
In May, the government tasked the Human Rights Commission with investigating antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism and the experiences of First Nations people at Australian universities. 

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Safety and accountability: Stakeholder referrals to restorative justice for domestic, family and sexual violence By S. Lawler
Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 707. Australian Institute of Criminology, 16/01/25
This article draws on interviews with 47 stakeholders in an RJ program for DFV and sexual violence in the Australian Capital Territory to better understand stakeholder decision-making about referrals. 
Findings show stakeholders’ decisions around which matters to refer to RJ centre on assessments of victim‑survivors’ safety and offender accountability. Many stakeholders are risk averse when deciding whether to make a referral, which may inadvertently reduce opportunities for victim-survivors to benefit and achieve their justice goals. 

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Restorative justice conferencing for domestic and family violence and sexual violence: Evaluation of Phase Three of the ACT Restorative Justice Scheme By S. Lawler, H. Boxall, C. Dowling
Research Report no. 33. Australian Institute of Criminology, 14/01/25
Research evaluating restorative justice programs for domestic and family violence and sexual violence is limited in Australia and internationally. In 2019 the AIC was commissioned to evaluate the Australian Capital Territory’s Restorative Justice Scheme for domestic and family violence and sexual violence (‘Phase Three’).

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An eye for an eye: People agree about the values of body parts across cultures and eras By Yunsuh Nike Wee 
The Conversation, 11/01/25
The Bible’s lex talionis – “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Exodus 21:24-27) – has captured the human imagination for millennia. This idea of fairness has been a model for ensuring justice when bodily harm is inflicted. Our new study explored a different possibility – that laws about bodily damage are rooted in something universal about human nature: shared intuitions about the value of body parts. 

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Meth research triggers warning to prospective second-hand car buyers
ABC, 09/01/25
A study conducted by Flinders University researchers involved analysis of two cars in Melbourne linked to the illicit drug trade. Methamphetamine was detected in 85 per cent of surface wipe samples and in all six air samples.

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Even the much lauded Nordic prisons are facing overcrowding and understaffing By Kaigan Carrie
The Conversation, 08/01/25
In Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland, life in prison resembles the outside world as much as possible.
However, like any prison system, they aren’t perfect. Criminal policies in these countries are more punitive than they were 40 years ago. 

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The New Orleans attack and Las Vegas Tesla explosion are examples of the US military’s violent extremism problem By Mia Martin Hobbs
The Conversation, 07/01/25
Experts of mass violence agree that mental illness tends to be incidental to attacks, rather than a motivating force behind them. However, perpetrators of mass violence do have something else in common. They hold certain groups, or society at large, responsible for their suffering.

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Estimating the costs of serious and organised crime in Australia, 2022–23 By R. Smith
Statistical Report no. 50. Australian Institute of Criminology, 19/12/24
This report estimates the cost of serious and organised crime in Australia in 2022–23 to be between $30.4b and $68.7b. This is the fourth in a series of reports undertaken for the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission estimating the cost of serious and organised crime. 

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Deaths in custody in Australia 2023–24 By H. Miles, M. McAlister, S. Bricknell
Statistical Report no. 49. Australian Institute of Criminology, 17/12/24
In 2023–24, there were 104 deaths in custody: 76 in prison custody, 27 in police custody or custody-related operations and one in youth detention. In total, there were 24 Indigenous deaths and 80 non-Indigenous deaths in custody. This report contains detailed information on these deaths and compares the findings with longer term trends.

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How much does crime spike over the holidays? The relationship between public holidays and assault By  Nicholas Chan & Alana Cook
BOCSAR, 12/24
This paper shows the daily number of domestic violence (DV) and non-DV assaults recorded by the NSW Police Force on each date of the year to observe the extent to which violence increases on public holidays and other significant dates. Assaults recorded by NSW Police spike dramatically on certain days of the year in line with key public holidays.