The preliminary findings outlined in this paper seem to indicate that there has been a decline in firearm related death rates (essentially in firearm related suicides) in most jurisdictions in Australia. There is also preliminary evidence that firearms may be being displaced by other methods or weapons. Despite this, however, Mouzos concludes it is too soon to determine definitively whether Australia's uniform firearms laws have achieved their aim in reducing firearm related violence and misuse.
This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of the circumstances and characteristics of crime homicides and other homicides in Australia, and examines the question of whether robbery homicide is a by product of robbery, or whether there is some quantitative difference in the two types of crime. The paper finds that there are certain incident, victim and offender characteristics that are more common to crime homicides than other homicides, and that there are striking differences between the circumstances and characteristics of robbery and robbery homicide in Australia ... The implications of these findings for prevention are discussed, with the author stressing that the study confirms the notion that there is not one type of homicide in Australia, and that the prevention of homicide must therefore be multifaceted and far reaching.
This paper examines the different circumstances and characteristics of family homicide in Australia over a 13-year period. Identification of the differences between the various types of family homicide has important policy implications and highlights the need for specific prevention strategies to target these homicides.
Using data from the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program, this paper explores involvement in intimate partner violence, and provides first-time results from face-to-face interviews with a group of 1,597 police detainees. The study found that the levels of intimate partner violence are much higher among this group (49%) than is found from general population surveys. More than two-thirds of the detainees who were involved in partner violence reported being both a victim and a perpetrator in the past 12 months. This is consistent with other criminological research that finds that a large proportion of offenders often report having been victims of crime. Factors found to be significant risk markers for detainees' involvement in partner violence included prior arrest, drug and alcohol dependency, having dependent children, and experiencing physical abuse as a child. Although a greater percentage of female than male detainees reported being involved in partner violence, once these other risk factors were controlled for, gender was not found to be a significant risk marker among this sample. The paper discusses the policy implications of the findings, particularly the need for early intervention with at-risk families and where drug and alcohol dependency issues are emerging.
Very little Australian and international literature has focused on homicides between friends and acquaintances. This study addresses that gap by examining circumstances and characteristics of homicides involving friends and acquaintances in Australia. It also seeks to determine whether the category of friends and acquaintances is a homogenous group.
This study examines the factors that differentiate solved and unsolved homicides in Australia. Based on data from the National Homicide Monitoring Program and questionnaires completed by police homicide investigators, the study analyses factors associated with the homicide incident and factors associated with the victim. The study finds that unsolved homicides are more likely than solved homicides to occur in the course of other crime and at a location other than a residential premise. The victims of unsolved homicides are more likely to be killed with a firearam, and are likely to be aged 30 years or older. The homicide investigators' responses also highlight the availability of sufficient resources, crime scene factors and witness factors as major themes in clearing up homicides, and identify major impediments to solvability.
Despite public fascination with, and interest in, the serial murder phenomenon, little research on this topic has been undertaken in Australia. High profile cases such as the backpacker murders in New South Wales and Snowtown murders in South Australia serve to heighten the public's awareness, and perhaps overstate the threat, of serial murder in Australia. Building on earlier research undertaken at the Australian Institute of Criminology, this study aims to examine the circumstances and characteristics of serial murders that have occurred in Australia since the inception of the National Homicide Monitoring Program in July 1989. Results show that between July 1989 and June 2006, there were 11 groupings of serial murders identified in the NHMP, committed by 13 known serial murder offenders, with a total of 52 known victims. This represents one percent of the total number of homicides in Australia over a 17 year period. The paper reports on the characteristics of offenders and victims, including the offenders' modus operandi. The analysis found that the profile of serial murder in Australia is similar to that found in international research. In at least two of the groups of serial murders the victims had been reported as missing to police. It is important to note that the paper reports on known homicides. The paper suggests that further research on the profile of long term missing persons and serial murder victims should be undertaken as well as exploring offenders who commit multiple murders on separate occasions, to identify what prevented them (apart from law enforcement intervention) from committing additional murders.
In recent years, legislative reforms have been introduced that seek to restrict the number of weapons in the community. These reforms have centred on knives carried in public places and on firearm ownership and possession. The focus on knives is of particular importance, as according to statistics for both homicides and armed robberies they are commonly the weapon of choice. Using data collected as part of the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program, this paper explores the link between weapons, drugs and crime, with a specific focus on weapon ownership and possession.
This paper discusses gender-specific trends in custodial deaths in Australia over a 21-year period. Established in 1992, the National Deaths in Custody Program (NDICP) collects data on all deaths that have occurred in police, prison or juvenile custody in Australia since 1980. Gender-specific information regarding deaths in custody is presented here for the first time, enabling differences between the circumstances of male and female custodial deaths to be considered.
This paper examines the similarities and differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous homicides in Australia during an 11-year period. The findings suggest that the 'typical' Indigenous homicide in Australia differed from other homicides in important ways. Indigenous homicides were more likely to occur within the family environment, with a high proportion of female involvement (both as victims and offenders). Many of the incidents resulted from some form of domestic altercation. Alcohol was found to play a major role: just over four out of five Indigenous homicides involved either the victim or the offender, or both, drinking at the time of the incident. Knives were the most common weapons of choice, with firearms used in less than six per cent of homicides. Indigenous homicides involving strangers were found to be exceptionally rare. These findings can be used to achieve more informed and sound policy directions in the reduction and prevention of lethal violence for Indigenous Australians.
Drug and alcohol use have been found to be important correlates of criminal offending. The Drug Use Careers of Offenders (DUCO) studies found high levels of drug and alcohol dependency among women, men and juveniles incarcerated in Australian prisons. Offenders also reported a range of negative life experiences related to their drug and alcohol abuse. The DUCO female study offers an opportunity to explore the interconnections between drug and alcohol problems experienced by family members, other life experiences of the women offenders, and drug and alcohol dependency at the time of arrest. Results show correlations between family drug and alcohol problems and the perpetration of child abuse. A range of other negative life experiences were associated with growing up in families with drug and alcohol problems, including early onset of criminal offending, drug and alcohol dependency, and low socioeconomic status at the time of arrest. These results suggest that early intervention with families of drug users is needed in order to break the intergenerational cycle of problem drug and alcohol use including alcohol dependency which is a more prevalent problem among Indigenous women prisoners. Prison programming and aftercare for women offenders with drug or alcohol dependencies should be designed to consider the needs of their children.
During the past few years, the reporting of the murder of three overseas visitors in South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory has generated immense public interest in Australia and overseas. The main focus of the media has been issues of the personal safety or security of intending visitors, and whether Australia is a safe place to visit. Despite the headlines, this paper provides factual information indicating that the risk of homicide victimisation faced by tourists who visit Australia is extremely low.
Crime can be devastating to farmers, the community and the farming industry as a whole. Repeat victimisation is high amongst farmers, but little is known about attitudes towards crime prevention, and strategies employed by farmers to prevent crime at a national level in Australia. Where strategies have been implemented there has been no systematic review of their effectiveness. This highlights the pressing need for crime prevention programs to be evaluated.
In order to regulate the traffic of firearms at an international level, it is necessary to begin by regulating it at both a regional and national level. This paper highlights international strategies aimed at curbing the proliferation of firearms into Australia. It also examines Australian government initiatives introduced to reduce the number of, and access to, illegal firearms in the community, and consequently to reduce firearm related violence.
This report presents tabulated information on the circumstances and characteristics of homicide in Australia for the fiscal year 2004/05. In addition, the report contains jurisdictional breakdowns for comparative purposes and some long-term trend data across the 16 year NHMP data collection period."--Book jacket.
This report presents tabulated information on the circumstances and characteristics of homicide in Australia for the fiscal year 2003/04. In addition, the report contains jurisdictional breakdowns for comparative purposes and some long-term trend data across the fifteen-year NHMP data collection period. In 2003-2004, there was a total of 288 incidents of homicide recorded. These were committed by 310 homicide offenders and resulted in the deaths of 305 victims. This is the lowest annual number of homicide incidents and victims in Australia since the Australian Institute of Criminology began monitoring in 1989. The report includes an additional section that gives an overview of the types of homicidal encounters in Australia: intimate partner violence, child homicide, homicide between persons known to each other, and stranger-related murders.
This report presents the results of an exploratory analysis of armed robbery in Australia. The study had two aims. The first was to provide an analysis of the characteristics of armed robberies, the offenders and the victims, while the second was to examine the value of a regular armed robbery monitoring program. Data were supplied by state and territory police services for a three month period in 2001, with a pilot subset of incident narratives for the same period.
The use of fire in homicide can involve a fire as a direct weapon to commit homicide, or to conceal homicide. It can involve the additional crime of arson, the act of deliberately setting fire to property. Analysis shows that, while homicide trends over this period have declined, the proportion of fire-associated homicides has increased significantly; a trend which has also been observed overseas. This paper examines the involvement of fire, either directly or indirectly, in the commission of homicide in Australia. The term fire-associated homicide refers to victims of homicide where the primary cause of death is fire-related (e.g. burns, smoke inhalation, toxic gases), as well as homicide victims with some other cause of death, where the incident involved arson or post-mortem burning of the victim. This report identifies key differences in the characteristics of offenders and victims between these two forms of homicide. The increasing proportion of fire-associated homicide justifies continued monitoring of this phenomenon over time.
In recent years there has been a significant drop in firearm-related deaths, and this paper now demonstrates a decline in hospital separations as a result of firearm-related injuries. Using hospital separation data in the five years to 1999, firearm-related injuries in Australia fell from 616 to 473 - a reduction of 30 per cent. The rate of firearm-related hospital separations per 100,000 population fell from 3.44 to 2.51. There is limited published information available on the number and types of firearms injuries recorded in Australia. The need for such information has become increasingly important, especially since the introduction of firearms regulations limiting access to firearms. This report provides a statistical overview of trends and patterns in firearm-related hospital separations in Australia and each of its eight States and Territories for the period 1994-95 to 1998-99.
Monitoring trends and patterns in homicide in Australia has been made possible through the National Homicide Monitoring Program and its annual collection of data relating to police recorded homicides. This paper analyses the data for the year 1 July 1999 to 30 June 2000, and provides a statistical snapshot of homicide in Australia. It includes details on the status of homicide investigations, weapons and methods of homicide, trends in victim offender relationships, victim and offender demographics, and homicide causes.
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