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.

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France to sue Australian platform Kick over Jean Pormanove's death on marathon live stream By Elissa Steedman
ABC, 27/08/25
France will sue Australian streaming platform Kick for negligence over the death of a user during a marathon broadcast.

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Why are police a target for sovereign citizen violence? By Emma Shakespeare, Keiran Hardy & Kristina Murphy 
The Conversation, 27/08/25
Sovereign citizens believe they are not subject to the law. This view stems from deeply held anti-government beliefs combined with conspiracy thinking that the government was replaced with a corporation that controls us through our birth certificates, licences, and other identification documents.

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What’s behind the rise in gun ownership in Australia? By Samara McPhedran
The Conversation, 27/08/25
It may come as a shock to learn there are more guns in Australia now than there were before the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.

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Who are the sovereign citizens, or SovCits, and why do they believe they have immunity from the law? By Kaz Ross
The Conversation, 27/08/25
Sovereign citizens are concerned with the legal framework of society. They believe all people are born free with rights — but that these natural rights are being constrained by corporations (and they see governments as artificial corporations). They believe citizens are in an oppressive contract with the government.

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Uni students are using AI to ‘ask stupid questions’ and get feedback on their work By Jimena de Mello Heredia
The Conversation, 27/08/25
Imagine a student working on an assignment and they are stuck. Their lecturer or tutor is not available. Or maybe they feel worried about looking silly if they ask for help. So they turn to ChatGPT for feedback instead.

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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will be proscribed as a terrorist organisation. What does this mean? By Keiran Hardy
The Conversation, 26/08/25
In a joint press conference, ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Iran orchestrated two antisemitic attacks on Australian soil

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Erin Patterson is a triple murderer. That’s no excuse for inhumane prison conditions By Thalia Anthony
The Conversation, 26/08/25
The media spotlight is once again on the issue of prison conditions, as sentencing looms for Erin Patterson – convicted for three murders after serving a beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms.

Israel is on notice for using sexual violence against Palestinians. It’s all too common as a war tactic By Peninah Kansiime & Giselle Woodley
The Conversation, 22/08/25
Recently, the United Nations Chief warned Israel he had consistently noted “patterns of certain forms of sexual violence” perpetrated by Israeli armed forces against Palestinians.

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What is Kick, the platform that livestreamed a man’s death this week? By Mark R Johnson
The Conversation, 21/08/25
Earlier this week, a Frenchman named Raphaël Graven died in his sleep during a livestreamed broadcast on the Kick platform. So what did happen? We don’t yet know – but as a livestreaming researcher I can tell you about Kick, the controversial platform where this tragic event was broadcast to the world.

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Extremists are targeting young Australians who crave belonging. What can we do? By Kristy Campion & Emma Colvin

The Conversation, 21/08/25
Vulnerable young Australians are being targeted and recruited into extremist organisations. Sometimes, adult recruiters use grooming and coercion.

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Prevalence and impact of mental illness
AIHW, 20/08/25
The most comprehensive insights into the prevalence of mental illness in Australia is the 2020–2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHW).

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Validation of the Violence Risk Scale for Australian male prison populations By E. Ziersch, S. Sowerbutts, Y. Woldgabreal, E. Ransom, Sophie
Research Report no. 34. Australian Institute of Criminology, 21/08/25
This study investigated the discriminative and predictive validity of the VRS for Australian Aboriginal and non-Indigenous males convicted of violent offending in multiple jurisdictions.

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Validity of the Violence Risk Scale for male prisoners in Australia By E. Ziersch, S. Sowerbutts, Y. Woldgabreal, S. Ransom
Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 717. Australian Institute of Criminology, 21/08/25
This study investigated the discriminative and predictive validity of the Violence Risk Scale (VRS) for Aboriginal and non-Indigenous males convicted of violent offending. A sample of 2,689 assessments from multiple jurisdictions was used to examine the criminogenic profile of Australian males according to the VRS, along with reoffending outcomes.

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Preacher Wisam Haddad and Islamic State terrorist Youssef Uweinat are targeting the pro-Palestinian movement for recruits By Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop
ABC, 21/08/25
A man caught on camera flying a black flag and ambushing an anti-war protester on the Sydney Harbour Bridge this month was a convicted terrorist and youth recruiter for notorious jihadist spiritual leader Wisam Haddad.

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'Sovereign citizens' threaten safety, stability of society, WA Chief Justice Peter Quinlan says By Keane Bourke
ABC, 19/08/25
WA Chief Justice Peter Quinlan has issued a warning over the rise of 'sovereign citizens', saying they put the stability of society at risk.

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Dobbing in a criminal? Don't do it on social media by Crystal McKay
ABC, 19/08/25
While social media is a popular way to share information, Crime Stoppers and police are warning about the potential risks of sharing crimes online.

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Violence survivors who 'generously shared stories' hope to be heard in royal commission findings By Stephanie Richards
ABC, 19/08/25
Victim-survivors who shared their stories with South Australia's royal commission into domestic, family and sexual violence hope the findings will deliver 'generational change'.

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AI free from bias and ideology is a fantasy – humans can’t organise data without distorting reality By Declan Humphreys
The Conversation, 19/08/25
In July, the United States government made it clear that artificial intelligence (AI) companies wanting to do business with the White House will need to ensure their AI systems are “objective and free from top-down ideological bias”.

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Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza? International court will take years to decide, but states have a duty to act now By Magnus Killander
The Conversation, 15/08/25
South Africa instituted a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague in late December 2023, claiming Israel was violating the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide through its actions in Gaza, and requesting provisional measures. Human rights law scholar Magnus Killander explains the process and why it’s so slow.

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‘Australiana’ images made by AI are racist and full of tired cliches, new study shows By Tama Leaver & Suzanne Sradarov
The Conversation, 14/08/25
We found when generative AIs produce images of Australia and Australians, these outputs are riddled with bias. They reproduce sexist and racist caricatures more at home in the country’s imagined monocultural past.

Young people returning to sentenced youth justice supervision 2023–24
AIHW, 04/09/25
Of young people aged 10–17 who were under sentenced youth justice supervision at some time between 2000–01 to 2023–24, 41% returned to sentenced supervision before turning 18.

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Examining the activities and careers of ransomware criminal groups By C. Whelan, D. Bright, M. James, C. Jones & B. Dupont
Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 719. Australian Institute of Criminology, 04/09/25
Ransomware is one of the most prolific and economically damaging cybercrime threats of the contemporary era. This exploratory study aims to enhance knowledge about ransomware criminal groups.

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Lawyer caught using AI-generated false citations in court case penalised in Australian first By Josh Taylor
The Guardian, 03/09/25
Victorian solicitor stripped of his ability to practise as a principal lawyer after acknowledging he did not verify case list.

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Recorded Crime - Victims
ABS, 03/09/25
National statistics about victims of a range of personal, household and family and domestic violence offences as recorded by police.

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Australia set to ban ‘nudify’ apps. How will it work? By Nicola Henry
The Conversation, 03/09/25 
The Australian government has announced plans to ban “nudify” tools and hold tech platforms accountable for failing to prevent users from accessing them.  

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What happens when the progressive idea of cultural ‘safety’ turns on itself? By High Breakey
The Conversation, 03/09/25In mid-August, controversy enveloped the Bendigo Writers Festival. Just days before it began, festival organisers sent a code of conduct to its speakers – a code that drove more than 50 authors to make the difficult decision to pull out.

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YouTube’s AI editing scandal reveals how reality can be manipulated without our consent By Timothy Koskie
The Conversation, 03/09/25The issue came to the fore recently with YouTube’s controversial decision to use AI-powered tools to “unblur, denoise and improve clarity” for some of the content uploaded to the platform. This was done without the consent, or even knowledge, of the relevant content creators. Viewers of the material knew nothing of YouTube’s intervention.

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Some unis are moving away from in-person lectures. Here’s why that’s not such a bad thing By Alice Brown
The Conversation, 03/09/25
Students have been protesting to keep in-person lectures at the newly amalgamated Adelaide University next year. University representatives say Adelaide University will not remove face-to-face lectures but “rework” the traditional format in line with research on how students learn.

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How Australia’s anti-immigration rallies were amplified online by the global far right By Callum Jones
The Conversation, 02/09/25
Over the weekend, rallies were staged across various Australian cities under the branding “March for Australia”. The rallies, which were attended by avowed neo-Nazis and elected politicians alike, called for an end to mass migration.

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Neo-Nazis and racist rallies: why it’s important the Australian media call them for what they are By Denis Muller
The Conversation, 02/09/25
If there was any doubt about neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell’s racist and anti-democratic attitudes, they were dispelled on the morning of September 2 when he gatecrashed a press conference by Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and Treasurer Jaclyn Symes.

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Police arrest 'trusted insiders' in the act of allegedly importing 500kg of cocaine By Anton Rose
ABC, 02/09/25
The investigation began in April 2025, police said, when Strike Force Paiporta was formed to target drug gangs using port workers facilitating the import of drugs.

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How can the International Criminal Court achieve justice for women? By Olivia Simic
The Conversation, 01/09/25
On January 23 2025, the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) chief prosecutor applied for arrest warrants for the Taliban’s supreme leader and Afghanistan’s chief justice, charging them with the persecution of women, a crime against humanity. It was a long overdue decision.

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New data shows a jump in older people dying from drug overdoses By Suzanne Nielsen & Tina Lam
The Conversation, 01/09/25
When we talk about drug overdose deaths, many of us imagine a problem that affects young people. But new data from Australia’s Annual Overdose Report, published on Sunday, reveals a significant jump in the number of older adults dying from an overdose, compared to two decades ago.

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How we tricked AI chatbots into creating misinformation, despite ‘safety’ measures By Lin Tian & Marian-Andrei Rizoiu
The Conversation, 01/09/25
When you ask ChatGPT or other AI assistants to help create misinformation, they typically refuse, with responses like “I cannot assist with creating false information.” But our tests show these safety measures are surprisingly shallow – often just a few words deep – making them alarmingly easy to circumvent.

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What is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or the IRGC? By Andrew Thomas
The Conversation, 27/08/25
With news Iran orchestrated two antisemitic attacks in Australia last year, the federal government has declared the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist group.