A juvenile pre-court diversion scheme was introduced in the Northern Territory in 2000. Administered by police, it uses warnings and conferences to divert selected juveniles from the court process. This paper reports on an analysis of Northern Territory police records on 3,597 apprehended juveniles over a 5 year period. Findings showed that the great majority...

During 2005-06, there were 283 incidents of homicide, resulting in 301 victims, committed by 336 offenders. This is 34 more incidents than in 2004-05, an increase of 14 percent. There has been an increase in homicides committed by young males, but yearly fluctuations in homicide patterns are quite common, and the increase in the number...

Although Australia enjoys the natural protection provided by being both an island and geographically remote, and has extensive border protection mechanisms this paper argues that we need to be aware of trends, internationally and in the region, to ensure we have early warning of activities that could impact on the level and type of trafficking...

The patterns of offending behaviour in young people (adolescents and young adults) in Australia are problematic from a number of perspectives. First, young people are over represented in official statistics. Second, serious offenders in adolescence progress on to adult crime, with a small number explaining a disproportionate number of crimes, consistent with international trends. Third...

The study reports on self-reported benzodiazepine use using DUMA data since 1999. Use was lower than for heroin and at similar levels as amphetamines. It is frequently used in conjunction with other drugs, which indicates a greater potential for harm.