Robin Fitzgerald

Exploring Sex Differences among Sentenced Juvenile Offenders in Australia

Recent research applying latent class analysis (LCA) reveals considerable diversity in the self‐reported offending patterns of incarcerated females and suggests that a failure to recognize these patterns will hinder the ability to understand mechanisms that lead females to serious offending. Using data from a cohort of serious juvenile offenders in Queensland, Australia, this paper extends the earlier research by using LCA to assess sex differences in juvenile criminal offending. Results indicate that female offenders are not a homogenous group with respect to their offending patterns, that there is a degree of symmetry between male and female offenders, and that childhood experiences of maltreatment increase the likelihood of membership in the most serious offending group for both males and females. Implications for theory and policy as well as directions for future research are highlighted.

Job design and levels of physical and mental strain among Australian prison officers

Abstract Over the past 15 years much has been made of the moderating influence of job discretion and support in occupations that are perceived to be high in demands. Such an effect seems to be most prevalent when subject populations are large and heterogeneous. One aim of this study was to examine the influence of subjective perceptions of these variables on strain reactions among a group of relatively homogeneous workers such as, in the present study, prison officers (n = 274). A second aim was to extend previous research and examine the joint influence of negative affectivity and perceptions of demands, discretion, and support on mental and physical well-being. It was hypothesized that those high in negative affect would be particularly strained by jobs perceived as being demanding. The hypothesized relationship between job demands, discretion and support were found to be weak and at times inconsistent. Social support, in particular, was found to have both positive and negative consequences for differen...

Drug normalisation and Australian youth: group differences in the social accommodation of drug use

According to the ‘normalisation thesis’, drug use has become an ‘unremarkable’ feature of contemporary life for young people. Previous quantitative research, however, neglects to assess the extent of variation in young peoples social accommodation of drug use. This paper uses data from a purposive survey of young people who frequently attended clubs in a major night-time entertainment district in Brisbane, Australia to assess group differences in attitudes towards drug use. Using social interaction models, we find evidence of significant variation in views about drug use even among the sample of frequent club goers. We also demonstrate an endogenous – or social interaction – effect where young peoples views are associated with the views of others who prefer to attend the same clubs. Overall, our results support the recent calls for a differentiated understanding of drug normalisation. We conclude that locations and social processes are important for understanding group differences in the social accommodation of drug use.

Finding and Keeping a Job The Value and Meaning of Employment for Parolees

Finding stable employment has been identified as one of the best predictors of post-release success among prisoners. However, offenders face a number of challenges in securing employment when released from prison. This article examines processes that shape the abilities and motivations of parolees to secure gainful employment by examining interview data collected from parolees in Queensland, Australia (n = 50). We explore the role of social networks and commercial employment providers in helping parolees find work, the perceived value of institutional work and training, and the meanings, challenges, and impact of managing the disclosure of one’s criminal past to employers. Findings highlight that the role and influence of employment on a parolee’s reintegration is conditional on his or her supportive social networks, ability to manage stigma, and personal changes in identity, which elevate the importance of work in a parolee’s life. Our findings also show how employment provides opportunities for offenders to self-construct and articulate new identities.

From Private Nuisance to Criminal Behaviour: Neighbour Problems and Neighbourhood Context in an Australian City

The problems that arise between neighbours have not received the academic scrutiny they deserve despite neighbour problems and disputes appearing to be a growing phenomenon. In this paper, we begin to address this omission by examining the kinds of problems residents in the city of Brisbane, Australia, are likely to encounter with neighbours and identifying patterns in their distribution on the basis of neighbourhood characteristics. Making a distinction between private nuisance problems on the one hand and antisocial and criminal behaviour on the other hand, we observe how neighbourhood levels of concentrated disadvantage, residential mobility and population density all increase the chances of residents encountering a combination of nuisance and antisocial or criminal neighbour problems over nuisance problems only or no problems at all. Conversely, a higher concentration of foreign-born residents is found to be associated with residents being more likely to experience nuisance or no problems over more criminal and antisocial forms.

Neighbourhood change and neighbour complaints: How gentrification and densification influence the prevalence of problems between neighbours

As people who live in closest proximity to us, the conduct of neighbours can have an impact upon our lives, even if they are relative strangers. While previous research has generally examined the positive effects of good neighbour interactions, neighbours can also be a source of nuisance, conflict and distress. In the advent of socio-structural processes of urban policy and change – such as gentrification and densification – the taken-for-granted conventions that once regulated neighbour interactions are being eroded, potentially leading to greater levels of neighbour problems and complaints. In this paper, we apply a latent modelling approach to identify subgroups of neighbourhoods based on their profiles of neighbour problems and to assess whether these subgroups are characterised by the degree of social change in the neighbourhood towards the dual processes of gentrification and densification. The findings show that high intensity problems are associated with both processes, but that class factors of gentrification are more influential than density in accounting for neighbour tensions.

Public opinion on sentencing and parole in Australia

Australia has nine different legislative regimes for sentencing and parole, as well as eight prison regimes; it has therefore been described as an ideal penal laboratory. This paper presents an overview of the extensive body of recent Australian research on public opinion on sentencing and, more recently, parole. The discussion on parole is situated in the context of an analysis of the legislative and policy landscape, which has undergone significant changes in recent years. The paper concludes with some comments on future research directions in relation to Australian public opinion on parole.

Redemption or forfeiture? Understanding diversity in Australians’ attitudes to parole

Recent Australian reforms to parole following high-profile violations are premised on a purported public desire for greater restrictions on the use of parole. These changes reflect the tendency of legislatures to presume that the public is largely punitive and invoke a ‘forfeiture’ of rights rationale that weakens support for offender rehabilitation. We consider whether restricting parole is based on a sound reading of public views. Drawing on a national study of public opinion on parole in Australia, we use a latent variable approach to look for distinct patterns in attitudes to parole and re-entry. We also examine what factors explain these patterns. The results support the conclusion that appealing to a public belief in offenders’ ability to change may be the most effective way to increase public confidence in parole systems.

Finding and keeping a job: Employment success and failure among parolees

Finding stable employment has been identified as one of the best predictors of post-release success among prisoners. However, offenders face a number of challenges in securing employment when released from prison. This article examines processes that shape the abilities and motivations of parolees to secure gainful employment by examining interview data collected from parolees in Queensland, Australia (n = 50). We explore the role of social networks and commercial employment providers in helping parolees find work, the perceived value of institutional work and training, and the meanings, challenges, and impact of managing the disclosure of one’s criminal past to employers. Findings highlight that the role and influence of employment on a parolee’s reintegration is conditional on his or her supportive social networks, ability to manage stigma, and personal changes in identity, which elevate the importance of work in a parolee’s life. Our findings also show how employment provides opportunities for offenders to self-construct and articulate new identities.

Finding and Keeping a Job

Finding stable employment has been identified as one of the best predictors of post-release success among prisoners. However, offenders face a number of challenges in securing employment when released from prison. This article examines processes that shape the abilities and motivations of parolees to secure gainful employment by examining interview data collected from parolees in Queensland, Australia (n = 50). We explore the role of social networks and commercial employment providers in helping parolees find work, the perceived value of institutional work and training, and the meanings, challenges, and impact of managing the disclosure of one’s criminal past to employers. Findings highlight that the role and influence of employment on a parolee’s reintegration is conditional on his or her supportive social networks, ability to manage stigma, and personal changes in identity, which elevate the importance of work in a parolee’s life. Our findings also show how employment provides opportunities for offenders to self-construct and articulate new identities.