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Research

Agenda

DJJ research agenda

Please note: This is a work-in-progress, which will be finalised and signed off once the new DJJ Research Steering Committee is formed.

The Department of Juvenile Justice considers the following as priority areas for establishing a research base for evidence-based decision-making.

Examination of juvenile offence and/or re-offence rates and trends over time
Factors contributing to juvenile offending
Violence risk assessment
Evaluation of individual and group based interventions focussing on offending behaviour
Evaluation of the efficacy of new initiatives for intervention delivery in rural and remote areas
Evaluation of specific interventions for culturally and linguistically diverse young people
Evaluation of specific interventions with Aboriginal young people
Research targeting the evaluation of interventions in non-metropolitan areas and community-based services are a particular priority for the department.

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Application procedure to conduct research

Outline of the application process

The Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) has recently revised its procedures for applying to conduct research. All research applications are now processed through the DJJ Research, Planning and Evaluation Branch.

All researchers are strongly advised to read this document, in conjunction with the DJJ Research Agenda, the DJJ Research Policy and DJJ Conditions of approval documents prior to applying to conduct research in the Department of Juvenile Justice.

Researchers are also encouraged to read documentation provided on this site regarding previously completed and current projects in the department when considering an application to conduct research. This is to ensure that possible project areas will not overlap with existing, or recently completed projects.

Steps in the application process

Initial application
After reading all departmental information on research, contact the Research, Planning and Evaluation (RPE) Branch on (02) 9219 9521. You will need to provide an outline of the proposed area for investigation. You are advised to have formulated your specific research questions prior to contacting the department.
First screening
The department will then assess whether your area of interest meets its priorities for research. If the research area is assessed as not being within the department’s priorities, then the application will not proceed past this point.
Supplementary information
If the area is within the department's priorities and is seen as potentially offering some benefit, then you will be required to answer a short checklist so that DJJ can assess the costs and benefits to the department, as well as the impact on the young people under the department's supervision.
Second screening
The department will then assess the benefits of the research, and the viability of conducting the research i.e. can the department support it and what is the potential impact on resources and provision of service? If the research is not deemed viable, or the benefits are not realisable/attainable, then the application will not progress further.
Invitation to submit a full application
If the research is seen as viable and beneficial, then the department will invite the submission of a full research application. The application forms to conduct research in the department will then be provided.
Submission of full research application
The researcher will need to submit the research application for review by the department's Research Steering Committee, ensuring the following areas are addressed:
- Detailed explanation of the benefits of your research to the department
- Details of all operational and Central Support Office resources required to assist the research project including staff assistance and infrastructure
- Details of all potential costs that may be incurred by the department
- A proposed schedule for data collection, including estimated time frames at each data collection site
- A copy of all instruments/data collection tools to be used
- A sound rationale for each data item to be collected or analysed
A copy of ethics approval from a recognised Ethics Committee will need to be provided with your application. You may also need to seek ethics approval from the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AH&MRC) if the research is concentrating on Aboriginal young people. Applications without evidence of ethics approval will not be processed.

Further information regarding ethics approvals for human research can be accessed through the following sites:
- National Health and Medical Research Council (NH&MRC)
- Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AH&MRC)
Consideration by the DJJ Research Steering Committee (RSC)
The DJJ RSC will consider the research application and if it believes the research is of significant benefit to the department, then the application will be sent to the DJJ Director General with a recommendation for approval. The Director General makes the final decision on the research- without this approval in writing the project cannot proceed.

If the DJJ RSC does not recommend approval, then the researcher will be notified of this decision.
Coordination/implementation of approved research
The Research, Planning and Evaluation (RPE) branch will coordinate the administration for research projects within the department. The researcher will be required to sign an agreement accepting the conditions for conducting research in the department. These conditions are provided in the document Conditions of approval for conducting research, which is available on this site.
Completion of research
The researcher undertakes and completes the research project, abiding by the conditions set out in the research agreement. At the completion of the project, the researcher must provide information back to DJJ regarding their findings, as specified in the research agreement.

No data can be released or presented publicly without the prior approval of the Department of Juvenile Justice. This condition applies to all releases, including those being considered after the main study has been concluded.

The RPE Research Unit is available to answer questions regarding all aspects of the application process. Please contact the Research Unit on (02) 9219 9521.

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Conditions for approved projects

The conditions of receiving approval to conduct research in the Department of Juvenile Justice are detailed below. Researchers will be required to sign a written contract agreeing to abide by the conditions.

The department reserves the right to terminate research at any time, especially if the researcher acts unethically or compromises the security of the department/confidentiality of the participants.

Please carefully consider the following conditions in your project design if you are invited to submit a research application.

Conditions relating to participants

That the confidentiality of research participants is strictly maintained at all times
That all young people participating in research are treated with dignity and respect
That all participants understand and sign Participant consent forms. Any age of consent restrictions must be adhered to, especially with young people under the age of 14 years
No audiotaping, videotaping or photographing of either research participants or juvenile justice sites is permitted. You may seek special approval from the Director General to access these modes of data recording, if it is considered critical to the research, however this would only be granted in exceptional circumstances. If the Director General grants approval for any of these data recording modes, additional and specific consent from both the participant and the guardian will need to be obtained prior to the research occurring
No incentives will be used to promote research without prior review and approval by the department. Where approval is granted, all participants will receive the same incentive.

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Conditions relating to the use of data collected

That all data is to be stored according to National Health and Medical Research Council Guidelines and disposed of after a period of five years
Information that may identify participants cannot be stored with any data collected. In the event that a master list is required (i.e. for follow-up purposes), this will need to be detailed and approved during the application process, and stored separately to the data. All master lists will be forwarded to RPE upon completion of the project
All participant consent forms will need to be stored separately to any paper based data collected
That the data collected is not used for any other purpose except for the production of thesis/research report
All other uses of the data will need prior approval from the department i.e. publication of results in peer-reviewed journals or books, publications of reviewed/unreviewed reports on the Internet or in other forms of electronic/paper-based media, or presentation of results at conferences/workshops
Strictly no linking of data to other data sources that are held. You may seek permission for this from the Director General, however any analysis proposed through the linking of databases will be treated as a new application to conduct research
Agreement regarding intellectual property of the data
That the researcher agrees to provide the department with a copy of the database collated, along with any data dictionaries created prior to the conclusion of the research. This should be provided on compact disc.

Conditions relating to reporting and/or publication of results

Work in progress will be provided to the Department of Juvenile Justice on a six monthly basis
That the final results of the research are communicated to the department in a timely manner, through the following avenues:
- A copy of the completed research will be provided to the department
- A summary of the pertinent results will be provided to the department for dissemination to policy and operational personnel
- Young people or DJJ employees who are participants in the research receive timely feedback. This can be through the summary provided
- If the research involves conducting testing of any kind (for example psychometric testing or medical tests), then the researcher is required to provide feedback of individual results to participants. This can be arranged through the RPE Research Unit.
If the researcher terminates the project prior to completion, all data collected is returned to the Department of Juvenile Justice. Written notification of the reasons for termination and an assurance that all data has been returned will need to be provided. The department will then store the data for a period of five years according to NH&MRC guidelines, after which time it will be destroyed.
Any publication or conference presentation resulting from this research will need to contain an acknowledgement of the Department of Juvenile Justice as the data source and acknowledgement to the DJJ Research Steering Committee for approving the research.

Other conditions

If there are any substantial changes to your research project, you will need to inform the DJJ Research Steering Committee in writing
Compliance with the above conditions is necessary before any subsequent research applications will be considered
If at any stage the researcher is found to be in breach of these conditions, the project will be terminated. All data will be required to be returned to the department.

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Research projects

Current research projects

Currently, there are seven approved research projects underway in the Department of Juvenile Justice.

The impact of penalty severity on juvenile recidivism

The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) is undertaking research with young people who have recently received either a community-based or custodial order
Designed as a prospective longitudinal study, they will be examining the impact of the penalty severity received on the rate of re-offending in the juvenile population
BOCSAR will be undertaking their research at Keelong JJC, Frank Baxter JJC and Juniperina JJC. Young people who receive community-based orders will be accessed at court.

Investigation of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory- Australian Adaptation

An examination of the risk/need assessment and violent delinquency among Australian juvenile offenders.
Risk Assessment in Juvenile Justice: Predictive and Practical Utility.
Psychometric evaluation of the YLS/CMI-AA for assessing needs and predicting reoffending for clients of NSW DJJ.

Environmental psychology

An investigation of the influence of physical settings on the perceptions of juvenile justice centre staff and detainees, and their behaviour.

Validity and reliability of psychological tests for abuse, trauma and neglect

The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire In an Adolescent Offender Population: Psychometric properties and normative data.

The Young People on Community Orders Health Survey: Breaking the juvenile crime cycle: Rehabilitating high-risk offenders

The University of Sydney, in conjunction with Justice Health and the Department of Juvenile Justice are currently completing an investigation of the psychological and physical health problems of young people serving community based orders.
This project is being funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant, which is held by the University of Sydney. Both Justice Health and the Department of Juvenile Justice are industry partners in this project.
This is an extension of the work previously completed by the department, that resulted in the publication of the Young People in Custody Health Survey: Key Findings Report.

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Major Research projects

Department of Juvenile Justice (2004). 2003 NSW Young People in Custody Health Survey: Key findings report. ISBN: 0 7347 6518 5.

Cain, M. (1996). Recidivism of Juvenile Offenders in New South Wales. NSW Department of Juvenile Justice: Author. ISBN: 0 7310 8887 5.

Information and evaluation series

Cain, M. (1995). Juveniles in detention: Issues of over-representation. Information and Evaluation Series, No. 4, NSW Department of Juvenile Justice: Author. ISBN: 0 7310 4892 X.

Cain, M. (1994). Special needs groups: Young women, Aboriginal and Indo-Chinese detainees. Information and Evaluation Series, No. 3, NSW Department of Juvenile Justice: Author. ISBN: 0 7310 3641 7.

Cain, M. (1993). Juveniles in detention: A model for diversion. Information and Evaluation Series, No. 2. NSW Department of Juvenile Justice: Author. ISBN: 0 7310 0290 3.

Cain, M. (1993). An evaluation of parole orders and court specified parole supervision. Information and Evaluation Series, No. 1, NSW Department of Juvenile Justice: Author. ISBN: 0 7310 0290 3.

The DJJ Collaborative Research Unit monograph series

Thompson, A.P. & Pope, Z. (2003). An analysis of psychological forensic reports for juvenile offenders. Monograph Series Collaborative Research Unit, No. 3, NSW Department of Juvenile Justice: Author. ISBN: 0 7347 6500 2.

Kenny, D.T, Seidler, K., Keogh, T. & Blaszczynski, A. (1999). Clinical characteristics of Australian juvenile sex offenders: Implications for treatment. Monograph Series Collaborative Research Unit, No. 2, NSW Department of Juvenile Justice: Author. ISBN: 0 7347 6121 X.

Kenny, D.T, Seidler, K., Blaszczynski, A. & Keogh, T. (1999). Profiling Australian juvenile sex offenders: Offender and offence characteristics. Monograph Series Collaborative Research Unit, No. 1, NSW Department of Juvenile Justice: Author. ISBN: 0 7347 6120 1.

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Publications arising from approved research projects

Publications from the Drug Use Careers of Juvenile Offenders project

Prichard, J. & Payne, J. (2005). Key findings from the Drug Use Careers of Juvenile Offenders study. Trends and issues in crime and criminal justice, no. 304. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.
Prichard, J. & Payne, J. (2005). Alcohol, drugs and crime: A study of juvenile in detention. Research and Public Policy Series, no.67. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.

Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory - Australian Adaptation

Thompson, A.P. & Pope, Z. (2005). Assessing Juvenile Offenders: Preliminary data for the Australian Adaptation of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory. Australian Psychologist, 40(3): 207-214.
Thompson, A. P., & Putnins, A. L. (2003). Risk-need assessment inventories for juvenile offenders in Australia. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 10(2): 324-333.

Psychological disorders of young women

Dixon, A., Howie, P. & Starling, J. (2004). Psychopathology in female offenders. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(6): 1150-1158.
Dixon, A., Howie, P., & Starling, J. (2005). Trauma Exposure, Posttraumatic Stress and Psychiatric Comorbidity in Female Juvenile Offenders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 44(8): 798-806.

Research into Youth Justice Conferencing in NSW

Bolitho, J. (2005). Restorative Justice in action: The principles and practice of Youth Conferencing in New South Wales. In J. B. L. Chan (Ed.), Reshaping juvenile justice: The NSW Young Offenders Act 1997 (pp. 119-140). Sydney: Institute of Criminology, University of Sydney.

Publications from the 1999 NSW Young Offender Drug Use Survey

Copeland, J., Howard, J., Keogh, T., & Seidler, K. (2003). Patterns and correlates of substance use amongst juvenile detainees in New South Wales 1989-1999. Drug and Alcohol Review, 22:15-20.
Howard, J., Lennings, C. J., & Copeland, J. (2003). Suicidal behavior in a young offender population. Crisis, 24(3): 98–104
Lennings, C.J., Copeland, J. & Howard, J. (2003). Substance use patterns of young offenders and violent crime. Aggressive Behavior, 29: 414–422
Copeland, J., Howard, J., Keogh, T. & Seidler, K. (2003). Drugs and Blood-Borne Viruses: Knowledge and Risk-taking Behaviour Among Detained Adolescents in New South Wales. International Journal of Forensic Psychology, 1(1): 85-91.

Adolescent sex offenders

Nisbet, I.A., Wilson, P.H. & Smallbone, S.W. (2004). A prospective longitudinal study of sexual recidivism among adolescent sex offenders. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 16 (3): 223-234.
Kenny, D.T., Keogh, T. & Seidler, K. (2001). Predictors of recidivism in Australian juvenile sex offenders: Implications for treatment. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 13(2): 131-148.
Kenny, D. T., Seidler, K., Keogh, T., & Blaszczynski, A. (2000). Offence and clinical characteristics of Australian juvenile sex offenders. Psychiatry, Psychology and the Law, 7(2): 212–226.

Forensic psychological assessment

Lennings, C.J., Stephenson, J., Cotter, M., Johnston, I. & Jenkins, T. (2001). An evaluation of psychological reports in the NSW Department of Juvenile Justice Forensic Program: An analysis of their effectiveness. Youth Studies Australia, 20(2): 35-39.

Aboriginal young people

Troth, G. & Grainger, J. (2000). Psychological impact of custody on the Aboriginal adolescent. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 7(1): 89-96.

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Relevant resources

Links to published statistics on juvenile offending

The Department of Juvenile Justice Annual Reports
The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research publish the NSW Criminal Court Statistics Report, which has a specific section for Children's Court outcomes. This report contains information provided by the Department of Juvenile Justice. NSW Recorded Crime Statistics reports are published annually by the Bureau and these reports are available on their website from 1997. The Bureau has published a report entitled The transition from juvenile to adult criminal careers, which includes an investigation of the rate of reconviction among juveniles who appear in the Children’s Court. The report can be found here.
The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) The Australian Institute of Criminology publishes a range of research papers detailing crime figures and trends, along with technical and background reports on specific areas, such as juvenile detention. Specific information regarding juvenile crime rates is contained in the Technical and background paper series No. 18: Statistics on juvenile detention in Australia: 1981-2004, which is located here.

The AIC have released a national report on the Drug use careers of juvenile offenders, which examines the intersection of drug use patterns and criminal careers in detained juvenile offenders. The full national report is available as a part of the Research and Public Policy Series, (no. 67), and a key findings report is available as part of the Trends and issues in crime and criminal justice series (no 304). Both reports are available here.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics- National Centre for Crime and Justice Statistics The National Centre for Crime and Justice Statistics of the Australian Bureau of Statistics provide a number of annual Crime and Justice publications that include information about Juvenile crime rates. The ABS also provides population information through the Census, which can be accessed here.

Other relevant research publications

The Commission for Children and Young People - Count me in! The Commission for Children and Young People have published a practical resource Count me in!, which was developed in conjunction with the Social Justice and Change Research Centre, University of Western Sydney. This resource contains information for those conducting social research with children and young people.

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