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 University College. They do not reflect the views of ACAP University College.

If you would like to be added to, or removed from the circulation list for this news bulletin, please send an email to the ACAP Librarian.

AI weapons are dangerous in war. But saying they can’t be held accountable misses the point By Zena Assaad
The Conversation, 10/10/25
The use of AI in warfare ranges from wargaming simulations used for training soldiers, through to the more problematic AI decision-support systems used for targeting, such as the Israel Defence Force’s use of the “Lavender” system which allegedly identifies suspected members of Hamas, or other armed groups.

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Parricide in Australia: Findings from the National Homicide Monitoring Program By S. Bricknell, & H. Miles
Statistical Bulletin no. 48. Australian Institute of Criminology, 09/10/25
Parricide, or the homicide of a parent by their child, comprises five percent of homicides each year. Offenders were predominantly male but victimisation was more even. Parricide was largely gendered, with sons more likely to kill their fathers and daughters to kill their mothers. Findings illustrate the distinctiveness of parricide and the greater need to consider this form of lethal violence in responses to family violence.

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Victorian government defends bail laws as opposition criticises new judicial guidance
ABC, 09/10/25
The Bail Bench Book states that while community safety is now of "overarching importance," it is "not the only guiding principle" when considering whether a child is released on bail. 

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Women and kids often pay a heavy price when men drink. Our gender violence plan should reflect this By Anne-Marie Laslett & Cassandra Hopkins
The Conversation, 09/10/25
Globally, up to one in three women who live with a male partner report he is a heavy drinker. Evidence shows men’s drinking increases the severity and frequency of violence towards women and harms to children.

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Organised crime may be infiltrating Timor-Leste’s government. One minister is sounding the alarm By Michael Rose
The Conversation, 09/10/25
Two decades after Timor-Leste gained its independence, the country is a complicated and qualified success story. 
A senior official with oversight over the national intelligence agency has gone public with explosive claims that Timorese institutions are allegedly being bought by organised crime.

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University wrongly accuses students of using artificial intelligence to cheat By Julia Bergin
ABC, 09/10/25
A major Australian university used artificial intelligence technology to accuse about 6,000 students of academic misconduct last year. The most common offence was using AI to cheat, but many of the students had done nothing wrong.

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Third narco sub found in Solomon Islands, as cocaine and meth trafficking comes to the Pacific By Chrisnrita Aumanu-Leong & Nick Sas
ABC, 09/10/25
Narco subs are ocean-going, semi-submersible or fully-submersible vessels, often custom-built by drug cartels to transfer huge amounts of product across oceans.  

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High Court backs use of encrypted app to monitor crime figures after challenge by accused bikies By Elizabeth Byrne
ABC, 08/10/25
The High Court has thrown out a challenge by two South Australian men accused of being Comanchero bikies, disputing the use of information gathered via AN0M in their criminal trial.

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Hundreds of sexual offence cases potentially compromised amid Victoria Police audit By Emile Pavlich and Sarah Lawrence
ABC, 08/10/25
The ABC understands Victoria Police has launched an internal audit that could compromise hundreds of child abuse and sex offence cases.

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Characteristics of image-based sexual abuse recorded by police By T. Sullivan, & M. McAlister
Statistical Bulletin no. 49. Australian Institute of Criminology, 07/10/25
Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) is the threatened or actual capturing or sharing of an intimate image of a person without their consent. This bulletin describes the findings of an analysis of 771 individuals proceeded against by police for IBSA offences in four jurisdictions in 2022–23.

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Mental health 
AIHW, 07/10/25
This site describes the activity and characteristics of Australia’s health and social care services accessed by people with a mental illness. 
 

NSW Police lost a huge strip search lawsuit. It has national implications By Vicki Sentas
The Conversation, 03/10/25
This week, the Supreme Court of New South Wales delivered a landmark judgment against the NSW Police Force for unlawful strip searches. 

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Tony Mokbel acquitted of some drug convictions but faces a retrial over another By Kristian Silva
ABC, 03/10/25
Victoria's highest court has overturned two of Tony Mokbel's drug convictions, and ordered the gangland figure to face a new trial over alleged offending dating back two decades.

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Labour’s Islamophobia ban is a gift to criminals and extremists By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
Spiked, 03/10/25
An official ‘Islamophobia’ definition will accelerate the slide towards a two-tier justice system.

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Emerging threats in Southeast Asia – Exploitation of AI and automation in the regional cybercrime landscape
UNODC, 20/09/25
Organized crime groups in Southeast Asia are rapidly adopting automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to expand cybercrime operations, according to a new UNODC cybercrime technical policy brief. The development is creating significant risks for individuals, institutions and economies across the region.

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More people are using AI in court, not a lawyer. It could cost you money – and your case By Michael Legg
The Conversation, 29/09/25
When you don’t have the money for a lawyer to represent you in a court case, even judges can understand the temptation to get free help from anywhere – including tapping into generative artificial intelligence (AI).

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You’re likely not as immune to scams as you think – here’s why By Mamello Thinyane
The Conversation, 29/09/25
What do Tiger Woods, Ben Stiller, Australian pensioners and dating app users have in common? Despite being from different walks of life, they have all fallen prey to various scams.

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People who use drugs are trying to stay safe in a politicised world, our surveys show By Rachel Sutherland & Amy Peacock
The Conversation, 26/09/25
People who use drugs are increasingly trying to reduce harm – by obtaining the life-saving drug naloxone and testing their drugs – according to new data.

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Repatriation or political theatre? How the return of stolen artefacts can distort history By Will Brehm
The Conversation, 26/09/25
In late July, during a visit to the National Gallery of Australia, three Buddhist bodhisattva statues caught my attention. All three were created in the ancient Champa Kingdom that flourished from the 2nd to 19th centuries across present-day Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. But the Champa Kingdom bore little resemblance to Cambodia’s current borders. What does repatriation mean when the political geography of a place has entirely transformed?