David A. Bright

Evolution of a Treatment Programme for Sex Offenders: Changes to the NSW Custody-Based Intensive Treatment (CUBIT)

As a result of a high treatment attrition rate two significant changes were made from August 2005 to the New South Wales Department of Corrective Services custody-based intensive treatment programme for sexual offenders (CUBIT) that directly reflect advances in the field of sex offender treatment. This article outlines the rationale and outcomes of these changes. It is argued that the implementation of an open-ended (rolling) group treatment format has significant advantages over a closed group treatment format. Secondly, the programme is now emphasizing the importance of the use of positive therapist characteristics within the programme and in so doing has moved away from an overly manualized delivery of cognitive behaviour treatment. The positive outcomes produced by the changes are discussed.

Evolution of a drug trafficking network: Mapping changes in network structure and function across time

There is a growing body of research using social network analysis to study criminal networks. The great majority of this research examines networks at a single time point. Although there are theoretical approaches which hypothesise on how criminal networks develop and grow, little empirical research has been conducted on the growth of criminal networks over time. This project documents the growth of a drug trafficking network. The aims were to examine and describe structural and functional changes in a criminal network across time. We found that the density of the network remained somewhat stable over time, although the network became more decentralised at the final time point measured. Centrality scores for individual nodes showed significant changes over time. Individuals changed the roles performed across time, consistent with the changing needs and focus of the network. Overall, our results support the characterisation of networks as flexible and adaptive.

The Influence of Gruesome Verbal Evidence on Mock Juror Verdicts

Judges assume that gruesome evidence can influence juror verdicts. Legal safeguards such as exclusionary evidentiary doctrines are in place to protect defendants against the misuse of visual gruesome evidence by jurors. However, little is known about the impact of gruesome evidence on juror decision-making. The current study investigated the hypothesis that convictions are more likely in cases in which gruesome evidence is admitted. When inculpatory evidence was held constant, 34.4% of mock jurors presented with gruesome evidence convicted the defendant, whereas only 13.9% of the mock jurors who reviewed no gruesome evidence did so. When inculpatory evidence was legally insufficient for conviction and gruesome evidence was presented, mock jurors rated the likelihood of the guilt of the defendant significantly higher compared with ratings from mock jurors to whom no gruesome facts were presented. The presence of gruesome facts also significantly enhanced the inculpatory value of one item in evidence.

A systematic review of methamphetamine precursor regulations

AIMS To assess the effectiveness of methamphetamine precursor regulations in reducing illicit methamphetamine supply and use. METHODS A systematic review of 12 databases was used to identify studies that had evaluated the impact of methamphetamine precursor regulations on methamphetamine supply and/or use. The guidelines of the Effective Practice and Organization of Care Group (EPOC) of The Cochrane Collaboration were used to determine which study designs were included and assess their quality. RESULTS Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies evaluated 15 interventions (13 regulations and two related interdiction efforts), all of which were located in North America. Interventions had consistent impacts across various indicators of methamphetamine supply and use. Seven of the 15 interventions produced reductions in methamphetamine indicators (ranging from 12% to 77%). Two of the largest impacts were seen following interdiction efforts, involving the closure of rogue pharmaceutical companies. There was no evidence of a shift into other types of drug use, or injecting use, although the impact on the synthetic drug market was not examined. Null effects were related largely to the existence of alternative sources of precursor chemicals or the availability of imported methamphetamine. CONCLUSIONS Methamphetamine precursor regulations can reduce indicators of methamphetamine supply and use. Further research is needed to determine whether regulations can be effective outside North America, particularly in developing countries, and what impact they have on the broader synthetic drug market. Improved data on precursor diversion are needed to facilitate the evaluation of precursor regulations.

Retail price as an outcome measure for the effectiveness of drug law enforcement.

One outcome measure of law enforcement effectiveness is the reduction in drug consumption which occurs as a result of law enforcement interventions. A theoretical relationship between drug consumption and retail price has promoted the use of retail price as a surrogate measure for consumption. In the current article, retail price is examined as a potential outcome measure for the effectiveness of law enforcement. The predictions regarding the relationship between law enforcement intensity and price are only partially supported by research. Explanations for the disconnect between the drug law enforcement activity and retail price include: rapid adaptation by market players, enforcement swamping, assumptions of rational actors, short-run versus long-run effects, structure of the illicit market, simultaneous changes that affect price in perverse ways, the role of violence in markets, and data limitations. Researchers who use retail price as an outcome measure need to take into account the complex relationship between drug law enforcement interventions and the retail price of illicit drugs. Viable outcome measures which can be used as complements to retail price are worth investigation.

Recreational drug use and binge drinking: stimulant but not cannabis intoxication is associated with excessive alcohol consumption.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS Binge drinking is elevated among recreational drug users, but it is not clear whether this elevation is related to intoxication with recreational drugs. We examined whether stimulant intoxication and cannabis intoxication were associated with binge drinking among young adults. DESIGN AND METHODS An online survey of 18- to 30-year-old Australians who had drunk alcohol in the past year (n = 1994) were quota sampled for: (i) past year ecstasy use (n = 497); (ii) past year cannabis (but not ecstasy) use (n = 688); and (iii) no ecstasy or cannabis use in the past year (alcohol-only group, n = 809). Binge drinking last Saturday night (five or more drinks) was compared for participants who took stimulants (ecstasy, cocaine, amphetamine or methamphetamine) or cannabis last Saturday night. RESULTS Ecstasy users who were intoxicated with stimulants (n = 91) were more likely to binge drink than ecstasy users who were not (n = 406) (89% vs. 67%), after adjusting for demographics, poly-drug use and intoxication with cannabis and energy drinks (adjusted odds ratio 3.1, P = 0.007), drinking a median of 20 drinks (cf. 10 drinks among other ecstasy users). Cannabis intoxication was not associated with binge drinking among cannabis users (57% vs. 55%) or ecstasy users (73% vs. 71%). Binge drinking was more common in all of these groups than in the alcohol-only group (34%). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Stimulant intoxication, but not cannabis intoxication, is associated with binge drinking among young adults, compounding already high rates of binge drinking among people who use these drugs.

Effectiveness of a Sex Offender Treatment Programme: A Risk Band Analysis

This article reports an evaluation of a New South Wales Department of Corrective Services custody-based treatment programme for adult male sexual offenders. A risk band analysis was used to compare observed and predicted sexual and violent recidivism rates in a sample of 117 treated and released offenders. Risk bands and predicted recidivism were determined using the Static-99 risk assessment measure. Results demonstrated that during an average follow-up period of 3.75 years, observed sexual recidivism rates were lower than Static-99 predictions for the overall sample (8.5% vs. 26%). The same pattern was observed for violent recidivism (12.8% vs. 36%). At each Static-99 level of risk (low, low—moderate, moderate—high, and high), observed sexual and violent recidivism rates were lower than predicted rates. These findings were consistent with the general consensus that well-implemented cognitive—behavioural treatment can have a positive effect on offending behaviour.

The Use of Actor-Level Attributes and Centrality Measures to Identify Key Actors: A Case Study of an Australian Drug Trafficking Network

Social network analysis (SNA) conducted on criminal networks can identify key players and shed light on important patterns of connectivity. This information can be used to develop interventions to dismantle or disrupt criminal networks. Drawing upon the network capital construct, this study demonstrates that integrating centrality measures (such as degree or betweenness centrality) with other individual attributes related to functional roles and access to tangible and intangible resources will enhance efforts to identify critical actors. Using a drug trafficking network that operated in Australia in the 1990s, we identify actors who are key to the network by virtue of their position in the network, their attributes, and combinations of these factors. Implications for law enforcement practice are discussed.

Networks within networks: using multiple link types to examine network structure and identify key actors in a drug trafficking operation

Understanding criminal networks can aid in the identification of key players and important relationships within the network. We examined multiple, directed link types in a criminal network. Eight distinct link types were identified, each one related to the exchange of a particular resource (e.g. drugs, money). The analyses focused on the eight link-type network layers and a merged network representing links across all eight layers. We were able to determine the link type of around 31% of the links, and found that nearly 50% of the nodes were involved in more than one network layer. This suggests that many actors contribute in multiple, diverse ways to the operation of the network. Actors were found to specialise in the exchange of particular types of resources, and also to specialise in the strategic position they occupied in the transfer of particular resources.

The role of off-licence outlets in binge drinking: a survey of drinking practices last Saturday night among young adults in Australia.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS To examine where young adults purchase their alcohol on Saturday nights and how this relates to binge drinking. DESIGN AND METHODS This study used an online survey of a non-probability-based quota sample of 2013 Australians aged 18-30 years who had consumed alcohol in the past year. Participants who purchased alcohol from off-licence outlets the Saturday night before answering the survey were compared with participants who purchased only from on-licence outlets with regard to how much they drank (binge drinking was defined as five or more drinks), how much they spent on alcohol, where they drank, their risk of an alcohol use disorder and other demographic factors. RESULTS Of participants who drank the previous Saturday night (n=1106), 46% bought alcohol only from off-licence outlets (e.g. bottle shops), 19% bought from both off-licence and on-licence outlets (e.g. clubs, bars), and 23% bought only from on-licence outlets. Participants who bought alcohol from off-licence outlets were equally likely to binge-drink as participants who bought only from on-licence outlets (B=-0.02, P=0.912), but they drank more cheaply and usually drank at home. Participants who bought alcohol from both off-licence and on-licence outlets were more likely to binge-drink (B=1.39, P<0.001), drank both at home and in public places, were at higher risk of an alcohol use disorder and were more likely to have used stimulants the previous Saturday night. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Off-licence outlets were a major source of alcohol in this sample of young Australian adults, many of whom binge-drank in private homes.