Aborigines, Cowboys, "Firewater" and Jail: the view from the frontier

In 1988-89 Hall, Hunter and Spargo conducted a self-report study of alcohol consumption and the relationship to incarceration among Aborigines of the remote sparsely populated Kimberley region, north-west Australia . Hall et al do not state a hypothesis but have two aims: firstly "...to examine the relationship between self-reported alcohol consumption and the risks of incarceration in police lock-up" and secondly; to "...estimate the risk of incarceration in police cells among Aboriginal men and women in the Kimberley". These aims reflect the popular but controversial notion that alcohol causes crime. The alcohol-crime nexus is often assumed the central problem in race relations, particularly in rural Australia. Their method, however, cannot explain the relationship between alcohol and crime without information about offending that occurs when alcohol is consumed. Thus the specific relationships between alcohol use, policing, incarceration and race unique to the region are obscured by both an imprecise self-report method and the absence of a guiding hypothesis

Crime, Justice and Indigenous Peoples: The ‘New Justice’ and Settler States

The articles in this issue draw on cross-national comparisons of indigenous crime and justice in three ‘settler societies’, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. These kindred states share a common imperial history but their geo-political, cultural and historical trajectories are sufficiently different to reveal the underlying character of neo-colonial indigenous-state relations. Despite differences in indigenous culture, the timing of contact, the ‘civilizing’ or assimilationist mechanisms employed and constitutional form all states share an over-reliance on penal measures as a means of regulating indigenous-state relations. Yet considerable variations in the penal experience of Aborigines are observed so that differences are often greater amongst them than between Aborigines and non-Aborigines. These anomalies in indigenous criminalization are for Tyler (this issue) not only a product of anomie but reflect variations in economic dependency, cultural resilience, ethnic fluidity and 'identity' arising from the encounter with the post-colonial state

Organised Crime in Asia: Governance and Accountability, Symposium

The Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore and the School of Justice, Queensland University of Technology sponsored a symposium on organised crime in Asia. The symposium held at the National University of Singapore on June 28-29, 2007 brought together, for the first time, law enforcement officers and academics from several different jurisdictions to discuss current perspectives about organised crime. The theme "Organised Crime in Asia: Governance and Accountability" explored the relevance of such criminal activities to corruption and capture of state agencies or agents in the furtherance of criminal enterprises. Nineteen distinguished speakers from several countries (Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Australia, USA, Canada, United Kingdom, and Italy) spoke to the theme. The topics ranged across many of the issues involved such as the definition and trends in 'organised' crime, lethal violence, utilisation of the Internet, money laundering, problems of researching organised crime, drug and human trafficking. Contributors: Ko-lin Chin,Peter Grabosky, Raymond Choo and Russell Smith,Kent Lee, Nicholas Dorn and Mike Levi, Mark Findlay, Vincenzo Ruggerio, Rebecca La Forgia and Marinella Marmo, James Sheptycki, Margaret Lewis, R. Thilagaraj, Noriyoshi Takemura, Mohd Kassim Mohamad, Dan Ng, and Yik-Kon Teh

Policing in Cambodia : legitimacy in the making?

Analyses of police statistics, newspaper reports, and United Nations international crime victim surveys (UNICVS) are used to describe trends in crime, and changes in perceptions of security, corruption and confidence in police in post-conflict Cambodia. These data show that both violent crimes (including homicides and police or vigilante killings) and property crimes have declined. Modest reductions in fear of crime are observed but confidence in police has not improved, although 'street-level' corruption is less frequent. Corruption, elite crime and consumer fraud remain serious problems consistent with Cambodia's 'fragile state' status. The emergence of juvenile and drug related crime reflects demographic changes and the impact of modernisation (and urbanisation) on cultural practices. The role of modernisation and democratic transition in shaping the form, response to and extent of crime is discussed, as well as the effect of international aid focussed on criminal justice assistance

Crime & Security in Asia: Diversity and Development

The Asian Journal of Criminology aims to advance the study of criminology and criminal justice in Asia, to promote evidence-based public policy in crime prevention and to promote comparative studies about crime and criminal justice. Asia’s cultural and legal diversity are discussed in the light of the variations in rates of crime, imprisonment and victimisation. Fostering a criminological community in Asia will contribute to improvements in the provision of mutual legal assistance that is now required to combat trans-national crime

'Rapporteur's Report' in Bridging the GAP - A global Alliance Perspective on Transnational Crime

The record of these proceedings aspires to create a continuation of the reflection on ideas and inquiries of fact that animated the discussions of the Transnational Organised Crime Conference convened by the Hong Kong Police in March 18–21, 2002. The papers to follow distil many of the issues and problems now encountered in confronting organised crime or ‘serious criminal networks’ in the era of globalisation. The topic of crime, as it is realised at the international level, has become a meeting point for a host of concerns about human security, rapid social change and problems arising from the relentless march of technology. This is reflected in the participation of law enforcement agencies from over forty countries, representing all parts of the world, whose engagement is essential if the toxic and universal effects of organised crime are to be curtailed

Crime and its Control in the People's Republic of China.\ud Proceedings of the University of Hong Kong Annual Symposia 2000 - 2002

The Centre for Criminology at the University of Hong Kong was established in 1999 to provide a home for indigenous studies of crime and criminal justice in Hong Kong and the region. As part of this objective it sought to provide a platform for both academics and practitioners to share their knowledge and to assist in the development of effective strategies to deal with the increasingly sophisticated problem of crime.\ud \ud The annual symposium on 'Crime and its Control in Greater China' functions as a forum to discuss interdisciplinary research on crime relevant to Greater China. The various components of Greater China have common cultural, linguistic and economic bonds that give rise to some similar crime problems and opportunities to resolve them. Therefore it seemed appropriate that both scholars and practitioners from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan should meet to discuss their research on these issues.\ud \ud In the furtherance of these objectives it has been gratifying that the Chinese Peoples' Public Security University has participated in these events and co-hosted the 3rd Symposium. They also organised a Symposium in Beijing in 2002 to discuss ‘Criminal Trends and Countermeasures’and invited the Centre for Criminology to co-host, that event. This is the type of synergy that our annual event aspires to generate.\ud \ud A conscious intention of the annual symposium is to be broad in terms of both the range of topics covered and the depth of experience of the speakers. For this reason the symposium has provided a platform for postgraduate students to introduce their research as well as for well-established scholars with an international reputation for excellence in their chosen area of research. To further the concept of providing a bridge between academia and practice, several speakers are usually invited from the private sector to present their views on the problems and issues that concern them.\ud \ud These proceedings provide a record of selected papers presented at the various symposia and demonstrate the wide variety of topics covered and interests of speakers. I hope this bilingual event will help to fill the need that exists for a joint effort to review and discuss developments in criminology relevant to Greater China

The probabilities of sex offender rearrest

Estimates of the probabilities of rearrest for sex offenders apprehended (n=2,785) in Western Australia between 1984 and 1994 are reported. Subjects on average were followed up for 5.7 years and assessed by criminal record, Aboriginality, bail status, age, occupation and penal intervention. Three criteria, rearrest for any, repeat sex or a violent offence are used to summarise the ‘careers’ of sex offenders. Overall ultimate probabilities of rearrest for any offence were 0.61, for a repeat sex offence 0.33 and for a violent offence 0.51. Probabilities of rearrest for non-Aboriginal offenders were lower for all definitions. Younger offenders, Aborigines and those with prior arrest for non-sex offences had higher probabilities for any or violent rearrest but older offenders tended to have higher probabilities of repeat sex offending. Community supervision and imprisonment significantly reduced the ‘rate’ or speed of rearrest. The utility of actuarial risk assessment for low probability high consequence events such as dangerous recidivism and the evaluation of penal interventions for criminal justice policy are discussed