Sydney Institute of Criminology

The Sydney Institute of Criminology (SIC) nurtures relevant and impactful research and a collaborative and innovative research culture.

Our members engage in traditional and less traditional research covering a breadth of academic disciplines. Research is published in leading journals and addresses problems of global significance, such as:

• constitutional protections against extreme punishment (Dr Dyer)
• tendency and coincidence evidence (Professor Hamer)
• prosecutorial guidelines (Professors Cashmore, Cowdery and Shackel)
• digital technologies (Dr McKay)
• neurotechnology (Dr McCay)
• terrorism and extremism (Dr Dyer and Mr Pallas)
• hate crime (Professor Mason)
• consent laws (Dr Dyer and Professors Crofts, Mason and Loughnan)
• criminal responsibility and the history, philosophy and changing nature of the criminal law (Professor Loughnan)
• restorative and youth justice (Dr Pearce and A/Professor Clancey)
• policing, police perceptions, eyewitnesses and memory (Professor Lee, Dr van Golde and A/Professor Paterson)
• wrongful convictions, corrections and punishment (Professor Hamer and Dr Rudge)
• First Nations’ vision, voice, and values (A/Professor Williams)
• social policy; interrogating class, gender, 'race' and  motherhood (Professor Goodwin)
• victims and the criminal trial, restorative and therapeutic justice (A/Professor Kirchengast)

The Institute runs seminars, workshops, and conferences involving our members and national and international colleagues ensuring a stimulating, collaborative research culture that is conducive to research excellence.

Members of the Institute play a principal role in developing, strengthening, and teaching diverse undergraduate and master’s units of study at the University of Sydney. These include: 

• Criminal Law (LAWS1016 and LAWS5004)
• Civil and Criminal Procedure (LAWS1014 and LAWS5003) 
• Evidence Law (LAWS2016 and LAWS5013) 
• Criminology (LAWS3426) 
• Philosophy of Criminal Law (LAWS3513) 
• Advanced Criminal Law (LAWS3404) 
• Indigenous Peoples and Public Law (LAWS3435)
• Digital Technology: Tech and Crime (LAWS6358) 
• Discretion in Criminal Justice (LAWS6066) 
• Hate Crime (LAWS6862) 
• Explaining Crime (LAWS6048)
• Policing: Crime, Control and Security (LAWS6197)
• Critical Victimology (LAWS6356) 

Our members demonstrate a commitment to law reform by making submissions to the Australian Law Reform’s Commissions and by contributing to public debate nationally and internationally. 

The Institute runs several annual public events, including:

• Criminology seminars for Continuing Professional Development ('CPD')   
• Paul Byrne SC Memorial Lecture (attracting alumni, members of the legal profession, NGOs, government, and the judiciary)

Recent conferences include:

• Pandemic Policing
• Domestic and Family Violence Conference
• Youth Justice Symposium
• Neurotechnology, Criminal Law and Human Rights

We value the contributions and commitment of our partner organisations that support our public seminars and events. Some of our sponsored seminars include: 

• Beyond Punishment, Corrective Services NSW: Since 2002 Corrective Services NSW has sponsored the Beyond Punishment seminar series established as a forum for research presentations, lectures, panel discussions and formal networking. This program focuses on key issues relevant to criminal justice and the correctional systems.
• Juvenile Justice Seminar Series: We are pleased to announce the renewal of the Juvenile Justice seminar program sponsored by Juvenile Justice NSW. The seminar series began in 2010 and is a key element of Juvenile Justice’s community engagement program, which aims to better educate the public on aspects of the juvenile justice system. 

In 2016 the Sydney Institute of Criminology celebrated 50 years of innovative and critical criminological, criminal law and criminal justice research, teaching and community engagement.

For more information on the events and celebrations around the 50th anniversary, please download the following documents:

• Sydney Institute of Criminology: Celebrating 50 years (PDF 293KB)
• History of events at the institute (PDF 801KB)
• Key office holders at the institute (PDF 92KB)

• Dr Carolyn McKay, Co-Director
• Dr Andrew Dyer, Co-Director
• Associate Professor Helen Paterson, Deputy Director
• Dr Allan McCay, Deputy Director
• Ross Abbs
  
• Professor Jane Andrew
• Jenny Bargen 
• Dr Louise Boon-Kuo
• Dr Marlee Bower
• Dr Rachel Killean
• Dr Rohan Lulham
• Emeritus Professor Terry Carney
• Professor Judy Cashmore AO
• Dr Louise Cauchi
• Honorary Professor Duncan Chappell
• Associate Professor Garner Clancey
  
• Graeme Coss
• Nicholas Cowdery AO KC
• Professor Thomas Crofts
• Associate Professor Salim Farrar
• Dr Elaine Fishwick
• Professor Susan Goodwin
• Dr Rosemary Grey
• Professor David Hamer
• Associate Professor Tyrone Kirchengast
• Professor Murray Lee
• Professor Arlie Loughnan
• Dr Roman Marchant
• Associate Professor Greg Martin
• Professor Gail Mason
• Dr Tanya Mitchell
• Associate Professor Juliette Overland
• Dr Estrella Pearce
• Professor Kane Race
• Associate Professor Rebecca Scott Bray
• Professor Rita Shackel
• Dr Celine Van Golde
• Dr Don Weatherburn
  
• Dr Scarlet Wilcock
• Associate Professor Megan Williams
• Dr Christopher Rudge
• Dr Sarah Wayland

Associate members

• Dr Justin Ellis
• Pei Kong
• Siobhan Lawler
  
• Brenda Lin
• Dr Alice Orchiston
• Sarah Napier
• Professor Julie Stubbs
• Linda Wilkin
• Dr Robyn Holder

Current Issues in Criminal Justice is our prestigious peer-reviewed international journal that provides a forum for contemporary academic debate from leading experts.

In addition, institute members publish and present their research outputs in high-quality international journals, research monographs, texts and conference proceedings and contribute to media analysis of current crimino-legal matters.

Special Issue in Criminal Law - Current Issues in Criminal Justice, Volume 35, Issue 1

This Special Issue arose from the Annual Criminal Law Workshop for Australian and New Zealand criminal law scholars, which was held at the University of Sydney Law School on 7 February 2022.

Most of the contributors to the Special Issue participated in that Workshop – either as presenters or commentators or both – and we thank all of them very much for contributing their work to Current Issues in Criminal Justice.

The Special Issue concerns recent criminal law and criminal justice developments, particularly (though not only) in Australia; and contributors have dealt with an eclectic range of topics, demonstrating the vibrancy and wide reach of criminal law scholarship.

Topics covered are: jury directions in sexual offence proceedings; intimate partner violence; sentencing for infanticide; wrongful convictions; summary justice; the minimum age of criminal responsibility; corporare crime; the law relating to mental incapacity; and the partial defence of provocation.

CrimNet is a fortnightly electronic criminal justice e-newsletter, sponsored by the Sydney Institute of Criminology. It provides regular communication between criminal justice professionals, academics and students in Australia and overseas.

Subscribe to the CrimNet newsletter.

If you would like to advertise a publication, event or job opportunity in CrimNet, please email us at law.criminology@sydney.edu.au. 

CrimNet digest

• 11 May 2023
• 14 April 2023
• 30 March 2023
• 16 March 2023
• 2 March 2023
• 16 February 2023
• 1 February 2023
• 18 January 2023
• 2 December 2022
• 18 November 2022
• 4 November 2022
• 21 October 2022
• 7 October 2022
• 23 September 2022
• 9 September 2022
• 12 August 2022
• 29 July 2022
• 15 July 2022
• 1 July 2022
• 17 June 2022
• 3 June 2022
• 18 May 2022
• 6 May 2022
• 31 March 2022
• 1 March 2022
• 10 February 2022
• 28 January 2022
• 12 November 2021
• 29 October 2021
• 13 October 2021
• 22 September 2021
• 31 August 2021
• 11 August 2021
• 23 July 2021

To access previous editions of CrimNet please contact the Sydney Institute of Criminology.

A primary objective of the institute is to lead, stimulate and contribute to public debate and education. It continues its proud tradition of hosting seminars and events involving an array of world renowned and local experts. Sponsored seminar series and the Professional Development Program contribute to the institute's calendar of events.

If you would like to receive information on jobs, events, reports and research in criminology, criminal law and criminal justice, sign up to CrimNet by emailing us at law.criminology@sydney.edu.au.  

Visit our events calendar for all upcoming events. 

Centre for Continuing Education

The Centre for Continuing Education and the Sydney Institute of Criminology hold courses throughout the year aimed at criminal justice practitioners, students and others. The Centre for Continuing Education courses focus on delivering practical and applied learning opportunities. 

Publicising events

Other organisations are encouraged to submit information about upcoming criminology events. Please email law.criminology@sydney.edu.au so that we may publicise your event via CrimNet.

The Sydney Institute of Criminology is seeking to recruit four student interns for Semester 2, 2023.

Each intern must be available to work for a total of 7 hours per week for a 10-week period in Semester 2. These roles are paid positions. 

The internship is open to Sydney Law School students who:

• have completed at least third year Combined Law or second year of the JD program; or
• are currently enrolled in a Sydney Law School postgraduate degree e.g. Master of Criminology or Master of Laws (LLM).

To learn more, check out the eligibility criteria and application form. Applications close on Sunday, 25 June 2023.

A new webinar will be released each month from April to November and will include a quiz to test your comprehension of the material being discussed.

Register now for the full series or individual webinars and enjoy the flexibility of watching at your own pace from any location at any time.

Program schedule (release dates)

• Non-consensual sexual offence law reform in Western Australia | 27 April 2023
• Vulnerable witness advocacy | 25 May 2023
• Digital vulnerability: Vulnerable individuals and remote access technologies in justice | 29 June 2023
• Assessing witness credibility: Is it possible to tell whether somone is lying or telling the truth? | 28 July 2023
• Probative value and admissibility in the criminal trial: Focus on holism | 25 August 2023
• Advocacy in the Children's Court: Considerations for criminal matters involving children and young persons | 28 September 2023
• Gratuitous concurrence and the role of the prosecutor: Presenting a fair and firm Crown case in the face of sociolinguistic challenges | 26 October 2023
• Self-represented accused and appellants in the criminal justice system, and a prosectuor's duty | 20 November 2023

Registration: 

• Full series (8 webinars) = $300
• Individual webinar(s) = $50

*University of Sydney Alumni are eligible to receive a 10% discount. Find out more and register. 

Information for lawyers and barristers

If this educational activity is relevant to your professional development and practice of the law, then you should claim 1.5 MCLE/CPD points per seminar attended or 12 points for the full series. Practioners are advised to check with the CPD governing body in their jurisdiction for the most accurate and up-to-date information. Find out about interstate accreditation. 

For further enquiries:

• T +61 2 9351 0248
• E law.events@sydney.edu.au

Gain access to on-demand recordings and earn your CPD compulsory units for the year

The 2022-23 Criminal Law CPD series, presented by the Sydney Institute of Criminology is an innovative educational program made up of 7 recorded webinars delivered by eminent speakers from the University of Sydney and the legal profession.

A new webinar will be released each month from September 2022 - March 2023. 

Quizzes will be included to test your comprehension of the material being discussed.  

Register now for the full series or individual webinars and enjoy the flexibility of watching at your own pace from any location at any time.

Program schedule 

• Should Deceptive Sex Always Be Rape? | Available now
• The Role of the Crown Prosecutor in NSW | Available now
• The Reliability and Credibility of Eyewitnesses | Available now
• Ethical Practice for Junior Criminal Law Barristers | Available now
• Myths, Misconceptions and Mixed Messages: An Early Look at the New Tendency and Coincidence Evidence Provisions | Available now
• Advocacy in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal | Available now
• The Work of the Mental Health Review Tribunal | Available now

View series flyer

Registration:

• Full series (7 webinars) = $300
• Individual webinar(s) = $50

*University of Sydney Alumni are eligible to receive a 10% discount.

Find out more and register

CPD accreditation:

Information for lawyers and barristers: If this educational activity is relevant to your professional development and practice of the law, then you should claim 1.5 MCLE/CPD points per seminar attended or 10.5 points for the full series. 

For further enquiries:

• T +61 2 9351 0248
• E law.events@sydney.edu.au

Professor Murray Lee receives 2022 Best peer-reviewed publication award - American Society of Criminology Division of Cybercrime. 

Exploring Fear of Crime for Those Targeted by Romance Fraud, Cassandra Cross and Murray Lee, published in Victims and Offenders.

Editorial Board: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology; Current Issues in Criminal Justice; International Journal of Crime, Justice and Social Democracy

Series Editor: Crime and Justice in Digital Society