NCJ Number
140523
Editor(s)
P R Wilson
Date Published
1992
Length
231 pages
Annotation
Fifteen papers on crime and crime control policy in Australia discuss crime trends in Australia, police and prisons, contemporary crime issues, and crime in the ethical or moral dimension.
Abstract
Two papers that provide an overview of crime in Australia compare the crime rate in Australia with that of 14 other countries and analyze crime trends in Australia. Australia is noted to have crime rates that are more comparable to those of North America than Europe. For some offenses -- burglary, sexual incidents, assaults, and motor vehicle thefts -- Australia has a disturbingly high rate compared to most other countries. The analysis of crime trends in Australia concludes that rising crime figures are due partly to a short-term trend in population growth and to changes in society that have increased the opportunity for crime. Five papers on the police and prisons in Australia consider the efficiency and effectiveness of Australian police, public attitudes toward police, the characteristics of offenders imprisoned in 1987-88, life imprisonment, and remand imprisonment. Five papers on contemporary crime issues discuss the pros and cons of capital punishment; the impact, detection, and regulation of entrepreneurial crime; sexually explicit and violent media material; alcohol and crime; and serial murder. The concluding section considers three issues that juxtapose moral issues with the use of the criminal law. The issues are law reform regarding private homosexual behavior, gambling, and human organ procurement and alternatives to the international black market. Each paper is accompanied by references.