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Research projects

Research

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 young people 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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Research publications by the department of juvenile justice

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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