Andrew Torre and Darryl Whitford Coulthard
The purpose of this paper is to recognise and provide an approach to estimate the value of an institution that produces a public good to the wealth of a nation. Specifically, the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to recognise and provide an approach to estimate the value of an institution that produces a public good to the wealth of a nation. Specifically, the authors value utilitarian justice.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper employs the classical economic theories of crime and shadow pricing to estimate the total economic value and shadow prices or social productivity of police and higher court deterrence. These measures are estimated using the definitions provided by Dasgupta and by re-engineering key deterrence elasticity estimates gleaned from Australian econometric studies.
Findings
The empirical findings suggest a relatively high social value for police and higher court deterrence. Notwithstanding, addressing socio-economic disadvantage is likely to prevent more subsequent offences than directing more resources to the operation of the criminal justice system.
Research limitations/implications
The key limitations involve the sensitivity of the estimates to error. Further work is required on all the estimates in the model and in particular the social costs of the serious offences. The next step is to estimate the opportunity cost of supplying police and court deterrence. The cost estimate can then be combined with the estimates of social benefits to estimate a benefit-cost ratio. The model in broad terms demonstrates a way forward to estimating the economic value of and the social productivity of the criminal justice system. The provision of retributive justice is also ignored in this contribution. This requires a separate analysis.
Social implications
The social implications are that there appears a way to both justify and evaluate the criminal justice system and this methodology may be applied to the operation of other public services.
Originality/value
The originality of this paper lies in suggesting a method to solve the valuation problem for the jointly produced public goods of the higher courts and police.
Details
Keywords
Andrew Torre, Dean Vogdanos and Robert Sdraulig
The purpose of this paper is to suggest how the effectiveness of an asset confiscation scheme might be evaluated by focussing on the currently operating Victorian model in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to suggest how the effectiveness of an asset confiscation scheme might be evaluated by focussing on the currently operating Victorian model in Australia. For illustrative purposes, the offence of trafficking a commercial quantity of cannabis has been chosen. This is a topical and important issue, given two recent reports by the Victorian Auditor-General lamenting the absence of a suitable framework for evaluating the scheme’s performance. Because these programs provide important supplementary punishment tools, it is desirable that methodologies to gauge their efficacy be developed.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach to evaluating effectiveness is a mixture of criminological and economic theory coupled with some basic empirics. Utilising insights from the theories of valuing the social losses of crime and that of penalties provides a backdrop against which actual values of confiscated assets can be compared with ideal ones.
Findings
Comparison of actual and ideal values reveals a very considerable gap between the two, which suggests that the scheme is being underutilised relative to its maximum potential. The value of seized assets is well below the ideal order of magnitude. Even though the data on which this finding is based are sparse, the framework can be replicated as better statistics on the scheme’s operations become available.
Originality/value
The suggested methodology builds on and adds to current knowledge of evaluation techniques for legal system programs. Hopefully, it will provide stakeholders with yet another lens through which to view the operation of an asset confiscation scheme, and provide an impetus for collecting better quality data.
Details
Keywords
Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews and Bronwyn Carlson
Emerging discourses focusing on the social, emotional, educational, and economic disadvantages identified for Australia’s First Peoples (when compared to their non-Indigenous…
Abstract
Purpose
Emerging discourses focusing on the social, emotional, educational, and economic disadvantages identified for Australia’s First Peoples (when compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts) are becoming increasingly dissociated with an understanding of the interplay between historical and current trends in racism. In addition, it may be argued that the very construction of Western perspectives of Indigenous identity (as opposed to identities) may be deeply entwined within the undertones of the interplay between epistemological racism, and the emergence of new racism today.
Methodology
This chapter shall review a substantial portion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educational research, with a particular emphasis on the acknowledgment of the impact of racism on the educational outcomes (and other life outcomes) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with a focus on higher education.
Findings
This review has found that while there is evidence emerging toward the engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in all forms of education, there is also considerable resistance to targeted efforts to reduce the inequities between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and all Australians (especially within the university sector). It is argued this resistance, both at the student and curriculum level, is clear evidence of preexisting epistemological mentalities and racism.
Implications
The implications of this review suggest that greater effort needs to be placed in recognizing unique Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experiences and perspectives, not only at the student level, but such perspectives need to be imbedded throughout the whole university environment.
Details
Keywords
Adrian Darakai, Andrew Day and Joe Graffam
Ex-prisoners often face significant challenges in their efforts to find meaningful and stable work, undermining their chances of successful reintegration back into the community…
Abstract
Purpose
Ex-prisoners often face significant challenges in their efforts to find meaningful and stable work, undermining their chances of successful reintegration back into the community. These problems are likely to be compounded for those who have an intellectual disability (ID), given evidence that the disabled generally experience high levels of discrimination when applying for and maintaining jobs. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether members of the public hold different attitudes and expectations towards the employment of ex-offenders who have an ID and a history of criminal offending.
Design/methodology/approach
Samples of 642 participants, recruited via social media, were presented with vignettes, and then completed a short survey designed to measure their attitudes and expectations towards the employment of ex-offenders.
Findings
Whilst the presence of a mild ID did not significantly affect community attitudes towards ex-offender employment, it did change expectations about employment outcomes.
Research limitations/implications
It appears that ex-offenders are perceived as a homogenous group of people, despite actual and substantial differences existing within this population.
Practical implications
There is a need to actively educate the community about differences between subgroups of ex-offenders in relation to the employment needs of those with an ID.
Social implications
The social inclusion of ex-offenders with an ID lies at the heart of any effective and progressive criminal justice policy.
Originality/value
This is one of the only studies that has examined public attitudes towards this group.
Details
Keywords
Yvonne Maxwell, Andrew Day and Sharon Casey
Social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) is a term used to refer to the state of an individual's overall wellbeing. This review aims to consider the importance of understanding and…
Abstract
Purpose
Social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) is a term used to refer to the state of an individual's overall wellbeing. This review aims to consider the importance of understanding and assessing SEWB in prisoner populations, and identify potentially important differences between groups of prisoners, including those who identify as from minority cultural backgrounds (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in Australia), protective custody prisoners, remand prisoners, prisoners identified with an intellectual disability, and prisoners with an acquired brain injury.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is a general review of the published literature, with a specific focus on work conducted with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia.
Findings
Eight domains of SEWB are identified across which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners, along with those in protection units, remandees, and prisoners with intellectual disabilities or acquired brain injuries are likely to experience particularly low levels of functioning. Few programs have been developed to address these needs, although attending to low levels of SEWB has the potential to make a positive contribution to prisoner health, prison management, and offender rehabilitation.
Originality/value
Relatively little literature has considered this topic previously and, as a result, the paper is necessarily descriptive. Nonetheless, issues of SEWB appear to warrant further consideration, particularly in relation to those prisoners who identify with minority cultural groups.
Details
Keywords
British colonization of Australia had lasting consequences for Australia’s legal system. Although designed as a “one law for all system” based on the English common law, the…
Abstract
British colonization of Australia had lasting consequences for Australia’s legal system. Although designed as a “one law for all system” based on the English common law, the reality was, and is, that there have always been people regulating their lives according to their own distinctive culture and religion. Recognition of de facto legal pluralism, has only recently given rise to instances of de jure legal recognition. The latter necessitated a role for cultural expertise in a range of legal cases. The first considered is how social science expertise was employed in redressing the dispossession of the continent’s first peoples: indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders. The landmark case of Mabo No 2 laid the legal ground for native title land ownership which fueled a demand for cultural experts in indigenous traditions, laws, and customs. The second aspect is Australia’s response to recent immigration from non-European nations, including from Muslim countries. Many Muslims continue to regulate their interpersonal relationships exclusively, or partially, by principles of Islamic law and their “homeland” culture. This is particularly evident in family matters and the prism for exploring the nascent role for cultural expertise is through post-divorce parenting orders. The third issue is the extent to which a court can accept an accused’s cultural practice or religious belief as a defense to a criminal act or omission. In all three, who is a “cultural expert” can be contentious. While cultural expertise in indigenous matters is well established, the role for cultural experts in the resolution of family disputes and criminal cases is just emerging.
Details
Keywords
Aguinaldo Santos, James Andrew Powell and Carlos Torres Formoso
An effective way to promote a continuous flow of ideas for improvement in production systems is to challenge people with “stretch targets”. This should generate a creative tension…
Abstract
An effective way to promote a continuous flow of ideas for improvement in production systems is to challenge people with “stretch targets”. This should generate a creative tension between a desired situation and the present situation. In the UK, the potential of this approach has been recognised by the Construction Task Force in their report, Rethinking Construction, which recommended that construction companies should establish challenging targets for improving the quality and efficiency of their processes. Investigates to what extent construction companies are currently using targets for driving continuous improvement in their production processes. The analysis is based on the empirical evidence collected on six Brazilian and UK construction sites. The analysis shows that most construction managers in the case studies did not use “stretch targets” as a strategy for driving continuous improvement in construction processes. “Stretch targets” were generally contingent to project constraints and were not supported by other fundamental complementary practices.
Details
Keywords
Marisa Agostini, Daria Arkhipova and Chiara Mio
This paper aims to identify, synthesise and critically examine the extant academic research on the relation between big data analytics (BDA), corporate accountability and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to identify, synthesise and critically examine the extant academic research on the relation between big data analytics (BDA), corporate accountability and non-financial disclosure (NFD) across several disciplines.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a structured literature review methodology and applies “insight-critique-transformative redefinition” framework to interpret the findings, develop critique and formulate future research directions.
Findings
This paper identifies and critically examines 12 research themes across four macro categories. The insights presented in this paper indicate that the nature of the relationship between BDA and accountability depends on whether an organisation considers BDA as a value creation instrument or as a revenue generation source. This paper discusses how NFD can effectively increase corporate accountability for ethical, social and environmental consequences of BDA.
Practical implications
This paper presents the results of a structured literature review exploring the state-of-the-art of academic research on the relation between BDA, NFD and corporate accountability. This paper uses a systematic approach, to provide an exhaustive analysis of the phenomenon with rigorous and reproducible research criteria. This paper also presents a series of actionable insights of how corporate accountability for the use of big data and algorithmic decision-making can be enhanced.
Social implications
This paper discusses how NFD can reduce negative social and environmental impact stemming from the corporate use of BDA.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first one to provide a comprehensive synthesis of academic literature, identify research gaps and outline a prospective research agenda on the implications of big data technologies for NFD and corporate accountability along social, environmental and ethical dimensions.
Details
Keywords
Andrew Maskrey and Allan Lavell
The interview traces the early discussions in the context of disasters as developmental failures.
Abstract
Purpose
The interview traces the early discussions in the context of disasters as developmental failures.
Design/methodology/approach
The transcript and video was developed in the context of a United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) project on the history of DRR.
Findings
The interview traces the development of disaster risk reduction discussions in different contexts such as “LA RED” network in Latin America.
Originality/value
The interview clearly highlights the need to not forget the early thoughts on vulnerability and disaster risk.