Child sexual abuse is difficult to prosecute and has one of the highest attrition rates of all criminal offences. Part of the difficulty in prosecuting these cases is that offending is often hidden from public view, leaving only the complainants’ evidence to establish the defendants’ guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The ability of child sexual abuse...

The review identified options for addressing critical statistical data needs for a social investment approach, taking account of the impact and outcomes of crime. The Ministry of Justice wishes to ensure that the right information is available in a timely and efficient way – to inform better decisions. The social investment approach, as it is...

Aim: To examine the effect of the Police and Citizen Youth Clubs (PCYC) Young Offender program on re-offending. Method: Young people who were referred to a PCYC Young Offender program in New South Wales (NSW) between 2010 and 2013 were matched (68% of 2,055, n=1,405) to a group of young people who were similar in...

Asset confiscation is a tool that Victoria’s law enforcement and public prosecution agencies use in response to criminal activity. There are three key agencies that work together to achieve the objectives of the Asset Confiscation Scheme—Victoria Police, the Office of Public Prosecutions and the Department of Justice & Regulation. This follow-up audit examined the progress...

This report forms part of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse’s research program in relation to criminal justice system’s response to child sexual abuse in institutional contexts. This study investigated the extent to which joint trials with cross-admissible tendency evidence infringed defendants’ rights, and the extent to which joint trials posed...