Obstacles to Effective Support of People Released from Prison

CCLJ members involved: Melanie Schwartz (UNSW), Sophie Russell (UNSW), Eileen Baldry (UNSW), David Brown (UNSW), Chris Cunneen (UTS), Julie Stubbs (UNSW).

 

 

The Comparative Youth Penality Project

CCLJ members involved: Professor Chris Cunneen (UTS), Professor Eileen Baldry (UNSW), Emeritus Professor David Brown (UNSW), Melanie Schwartz (UNSW), Sophie Russell (UNSW).

Since the 1980s, prison expansionism has defined criminal justice policy in many western jurisdictions, particularly Australia and England and Wales. Research into this phenomenon has primarily been directed at adults rather than juveniles, with limited attention paid to comparative analysis.

The Comparative Youth Penality Project (CYPP) aims to fill a substantial gap in our knowledge about youth penal culture and practice. The CYPP will produce a comprehensive documentation and overview of changes in penal policy and practice across selected Australian states and England and Wales over the past 30 years.

 

The Australian Justice Reinvestment Project

CCLJ members involved: Emeritus Professor David Brown (UNSW), Professor Chris Cunneen (UTS), Melanie Schwartz (UNSW), Professor Julie Stubbs (UNSW), Courtney Young (UNSW), Sophie Russell (UNSW).

Justice Reinvestment is a recent development in criminal justice enjoying a spectacular rise onto the political and policy agenda internationally. In Australia, the idea has gained traction among politicians and community advocates, with particular emphasis on its potential in the Indigenous context. The AJR Project draws together senior researchers across the disciplines of law and criminology to examine justice reinvestment programs in other countries and analyse whether such programs can be developed in Australia.

 

The Australian Prisons Project

CCLJ members involved: Professor Chris Cunneen (UTS), Professor Eileen Baldry (UNSW), Emeritus Professor David Brown (UNSW) and Melanie Schwartz (UNSW).

The Australian Prisons Project is national research investigating the re-emergence of the prison as the primary criminal justice strategy in Australia since the 1970s. 
The project draws together senior researchers across the disciplines of law, criminology and social science to explore a number of themes relating to the prison, including trends in sentencing and bail, the experience of vulnerable populations in the prison system, terrorism, ‘risk' paradigms and post-release initiatives.

The Australian Prisons Project was funded by a grant from the Australian Research Council from 2008 - 2010.

 

Rethinking Community Sanctions Project

CCLJ members involved: Professor Chris Cunneen (UTS), Professor Eileen Baldry (UNSW), Emeritus Professor David Brown (UNSW), Melanie Schwartz (UNSW), Professor Julie Stubbs (UNSW), Sophie Russell (UNSW).

The Rethinking Community Sanctions Project is a three year (2017-2019) Australian Research Council funded project which aims to understand the place, role and purpose of community sanctions in criminal justice in three Australian jurisdictions (NSW, NT and Vic), in order to contribute to the development of theory, policy and more equitable justice outcomes especially for people who are over-represented or whose numbers are growing within the prison system, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women and people with mental health disorders and cognitive disabilities, as well as those at these intersections.