NCJ Number
92453
Date Published
1983
Length
18 pages
Annotation
The three sections of this essay describe Australia's major research institutions, assess the extent of governmental influence on criminological research priorities, and summarize recent research trends.
Abstract
The major research institutions studying criminology are Melbourne University Criminology Department, Sydney University Institute of Criminology, Australian Institute of Criminology and Criminology Research Council, New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, and South Australian Office of Criminal Statistics. University researchers freely undertake research in criminology as they choose. If they require access to official data or records and if they want their work deemed relevant to contemporary needs, they expose themselves to some degree of government influence. The degree of influence increases if government funding is sought. Within the Australian Institute of Criminology, the selection of research projects is negotiated. Access to agencies and data is assured and relevance of the research is established before specific projects are undertaken. At the regional level, most police and correctional agencies have small research units which undertake projects or collect and analyze data considered necessary for government purposes. Major research commitments of the Australian Institute of Criminology address the following areas: principles in sentencing, crime trends over the 1900-1976 period, victimization, the impact of prosecutions under Australian trade practices legislation on the subsequent behavior of business and the sociological sources of Australian monopoly law, the transactional nature of offenses by large corporations, and monthly data on the number of prisoners in the eight Australian jurisdictions. Areas for future development are identified.