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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71% of Australian uni staff are using AI. What are they using it for? What about those who aren’t? By Stephen Hay, Abby Cathcart, Alicia Feldman & Paula McDonald
The Conversation, 04/10/24
Since ChatGPT was released at the end of 2022, there has been a lot of speculation about the actual and potential impact of generative AI on universities.

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Is big tech harming society? To find out, we need research – but it’s being manipulated by big tech itself By Timothy Graham
The Conversation, 04/10/24
For almost a decade, researchers have been gathering evidence that the social media platform Facebook disproportionately amplifies low-quality content and misinformation.

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NT Children's commissioner says lowering the criminal age to 10 will increase violent offending.
ABC, 04/10/24
In an interview with Stateline, NT Children's Commissioner Shahleena Musk says the government's plan to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10 will only entrench cycles of disadvantage and increase the number of violent adult criminals in the territory's justice system.

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Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on responses to technology-facilitated coercive control By A.Powell, A.Flynn, L. Wheildon, K. Bentley
Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 698. Australian Institute of Criminology, 03/10/24
This paper examines the experiences of victim-survivors, and the challenges support services face, responding to these harms in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown restrictions. The implications of these findings are discussed with respect to ongoing gaps in responses to victim-survivors of technology-facilitated coercive control.

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After a spate of recent stabbings, is knife crime getting worse in Australia? By Vincent Hurley, & Alex Simpson
The Conversation, 02/10/24
A string of high-profile stabbing incidents in Australia, including this year’s Bondi Junction attacks, the Wakeley attack on Bishop Mari Emmanuel and last year’s stabbing murder of New South Wales paramedic Steven Tougher, have prompted fears that knife crime is growing out of control.

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I got generative AI to attempt an undergraduate law exam. It struggled with complex questions By Armin Alimardani
The Conversation, 02/10/24
To explore generative AI’s academic abilities, I looked at how it performed on an undergraduate criminal law final exam at the University of Wollongong – one of the core subjects students need to pass in their degrees.

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Homicide of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women By S. Bricknell & H Miles
Statistical Bulletin no. 46. Australian Institute of Criminology, 01/10/24
This study uses 34 years of data from the National Homicide Monitoring Program to describe the prevalence and characteristics of homicide of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Findings highlight the over-representation of Indigenous women as victims of homicide in Australia and provide baseline data to measure Closing the Gap targets to reduce homicide and other violent victimisation among these women.
 

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Nicola Gobbo won't attend court due to 'security issues' as she seeks damages over police informing
By Kristian Silva
ABC, 30/09/24
Ms Gobbo is suing the state, claiming police acted negligently when they enlisted her as a secret informer.
The judge said issues of open justice and confidentiality would arise during the four-week trial.

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Can Australia prosecute foreigners for genocide overseas? Here’s how our atrocity laws work By Alister McKeich
The Conversation, 30/09/24
The onslaught in the Middle East has brought to the world’s attention once again the “crime of crimes”, genocide.

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In parts of Australia, unborn babies aren’t legally seen as people. Here’s why that needs to change By Brianna Chesser
The Conversation, 30/09/24 
In October 2023, a Victorian woman, Elodie Aldridge, was driving home from a midwife appointment when her car was hit by a four-wheel drive. Aldridge was 34 weeks pregnant with her son, Remi. Under current laws in most states and territories, the life of an unborn child is legally indistinguishable from that of the mother.

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WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch says young offenders need more support before police become involved By Keane Bourke
ABC, 30/09/24
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch believes many arrests of young offenders could be prevented if better support services were implemented earlier.

How well is the federal government regulating social media in Australia? By Rob Nicholls
ABC, 12/09/24
So how well is the federal government regulating social media companies? This report card focuses on news and dangerous or inappropriate content.

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Albanese government to appoint Ombudsman with stronger powers to address sexual assault at unis By Jessica Wang
News.com, 11/09/24
A new ombudsman will be given stronger powers to investigate sexual assault and other complaints on uni campuses after startling figures.

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Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies, but some people still believe she is innocent By Michelle Rimmer
ABC, 11/09/24
Letby is serving multiple life sentences in prison after last year being found guilty of murdering seven infants and attempting to kill seven more between June 2015 and June 2016.

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Money laundering and the harm from organised crime: Results from a data linkage study By Anthony Morgan
Special reports. Australian Institute of Criminology, 09/09/24
We examined the effect of money laundering on the harm associated with organised crime by using linked data on organised crime groups known to law enforcement from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and suspicious transactions reported to the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre.

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Murdoch to Musk: how global media power has shifted from the moguls to the big tech bros By Matthew Ricketson & Andrew Dodd
The Conversation, 09/09/24
Until recently, Elon Musk was just a wildly successful electric car tycoon and space pioneer. Sure, he was erratic and outspoken, but his global influence was contained and seemingly under control. But add the ownership of just one media platform, in the form of Twitter – now X – and the maverick has become a mogul, and the baton of the world’s biggest media bully has passed to a new player.

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Frank Furedi claims there is an ideological ‘war against the past’, but it’s not that simple By Russell Blackford
The Conversation, 09/09/24
In The War Against the Past: Why the West Must Fight for Its History, British sociologist Frank Furedi criticises approaches to history and its cultural legacy that have become all too recognisable.

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If robots could lie, would we be okay with it? A new study throws up intriguing results By Stine S. Johansen
The Conversation, 05/09/24
Do you think a robot should be allowed to lie? A new study published in Frontiers in Robotics and AI investigates what people think of robots that deceive their users.