NCJ Number
162980
Journal
Criminology Australia Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1995) Pages: 9-12
Date Published
1995
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Crime in Australia is a complex phenomenon covering a wide range of activities, and crime prevention policies should realize many generalizations about crime are not accurate because the term denotes many events that cannot be described by a single label.
Abstract
For example, while many people live in real fear of unanticipated violent crime, violent crime accounts for only 1.3 percent of all reported crimes, compared to property crime which accounts for 39.5 percent. Further, crime figures can easily become distorted, particularly through media messages that continually report crime is out of control. Crime policies need to focus on crimes against persons and on relatively "new" crimes such as organized crime, drug trafficking, money laundering, computer crime, and environmental crime. In the policy arena, the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) is attempting to blend theory, data, and past experiences into crime prevention policies. The AIC has initiated a National Outlook Symposium on Crime and a crime-related magazine. Goals of the AIC are to provide quality information and to conduct objective policy- oriented research in order to inform government decisions that promote justice and prevent crime. Because the AIC recognizes that action and research interact, its efforts are devoted to limiting the gulf between policy and practice.