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Research Projects
Current Projects
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Current Projects
The Forensic Science Career Advancement Project: Developing Leadership and Higher Level Cognitive Abilities in Forensic Personnel (Project Phase 1: early career professional development).
Chief Investigators: Dr Sally Kelty and Assoc Prof Roberta Julian
Funding: Research Contract, Australian Federal Police
When people think of leadership they think of senior managers of forensic facilities/institutes. However, developing leadership in all forensic practitioners, regardless of rank/level is advantageous at the organisational level and for forensic practitioners. The purpose of this project is to develop a robust framework for the professional and leadership development of forensic practitioners from entry level through early career. The focus of this project is on the step-wise progression for the development and enhancement of social and cognitive attributes, such as holistic policing and legal knowledge, professional communication skills, supervisory skills, lateral thinking, problem-solving and critical decision-making. This project is not designed to assess the development of technical skills required or how and when forensic scientists will qualify as expert legal witnesses. The cognitive and social attributes used in the professional development framework were those identified in the seminal work carried out by TILES to identify the critical attributes that set top-performing crime scene examiners apart from their peers.
Related Report: Kelty, S.F., & Julian, R. (2012). The 7 Key Attributes of Good Crime Scene Examiners: Brief Report. Tasmanian Institute of Law enforcement Studies, Hobart, Tasmania.
How women have transformed the criminal justice system: a modern history
Chief Investigator: Dr Judy Putt
Funding: Safety Taskforce, Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
The project involves research on how women have changed criminal justice since the 1970s. There is a whole generation of women who have been actively engaged - as academics, advocates and practitioners - in reforms of the criminal justice system over the past 40 years in Australia. Since the first women’s refuge opened in 1974 in Sydney, there have been significant institutional innovations and changes to both the law and process that have sought to improve the way we deal with female offenders and victims of crime. The impact, although often not explicitly recognised, on how the criminal justice system works and on how we think about crime and offending has been transformative and widespread. Based primarily on the recollections of those involved, the research will result in a book with at least eight proposed chapters: on the refuge, the crisis centre, the law, the process, the prison, acknowledging difference, a global perspective and a conclusion on what has been achieved.
Bridging the Gap between Police and Refugee Communities
Chief Investigator: Dr Isabelle Bartkowiak-Théron
Funding: University of Tasmania
This project is a follow up on a research run by TILES two years ago. This study raised some issues relating to Police-Refugee relations. While the report of the research provides a valuable framework for agencies to start acting in enabling better relations with refugees and vice-versa, it does not present stakeholders with examples, tools or ideas to start doing so. The researcher, in this current project, follows stakeholders in the implementation of a Police-Refugee program in New South Wales, with the purpose of documenting actions and tools, in order to make them available to other interested parties throughout Australia.
* Research Project Brief 304 KB pdf
Development of a Recruitment Package for High Calibre Crime Scene Examiners
Chief Investigators: Dr Sally Kelty and Assoc Prof Roberta Julian
Funding: Research Contract, Australian Federal Police
Hiring well is crucial for law enforcement/forensic science agencies. Recruiting high calibre forensic personnel, such as effective crime scene examiners (CSEs) is no exception. The purpose of this project is to develop a robust multi-source recruitment process based upon the identification of the seven key attributes of top-performing CSEs. The four main sources of information used in this recruitment strategy will be: targeted written selection criteria; focused standard and behavioral interview questions; psychometric assessment; and a medical assessment. This recruitment process will provide police organisations and forensic science agencies with a set of guidelines that could assist them in selecting potential top performing CSEs. Top performing and high caliber CSEs can be defined as ‘CSEs who will achieve superior results in most or all aspects of their work compared with the majority of CSEs in the same role'. The leadership, cognitive and social attributes used in the recruitment assessments were those that had been identified in the seminal work carried out by TILES to identify the critical attributes that set top-performing crime scene examiners apart from their peers.
Related Report: Kelty, S.F., & Julian, R. (2012). The 7 Key Attributes of Good Crime Scene Examiners: Brief Report.Tasmanian Institute of Law enforcement Studies, Hobart, Tasmania.
Evaluation of the Cross Border Justice Scheme
Research team: Dr Judy Putt (University of Tasmania), Professor Rick Sarre (University of South Australia) Dr Emma Rowden (University of Western Sydney), Ms Gillian Shaw (Bowchung Consulting).
Funding: Governments of South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Project summary: Operational since late 2009 and underpinned by consistent legislation in South Australia, Northern Territory, and Western Australia, the main aim of the Cross Border Justice Scheme is to minimize the effects of state/territory borders on law enforcement and justice services in the cross-border region of central Australia. The legislation enables the exercise of relevant powers by police and other office holders and allows court decisions and proceedings to apply in the cross-jurisdictional region, where offences occur and individuals reside in the region.
The research team has been funded to undertake an evaluation of the Scheme. The evaluation’s objectives are to:
• determine the extent to which the CBJS has been implemented and operated as intended
• determine the strengths and weaknesses of the CBJS
• identify the extent to which the strategic objectives of the CBJS have been achieved
• examine the impact of the CBJS on police, courts, service providers, and the community within each jurisdiction
• determine the level of satisfaction with the CBJS from the perspective of the key justice agencies and community groups.
A mixed methodology is being used in the evaluation, including surveys, fieldwork, interviews and the analysis of administrative data. |
