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The Justice Collaboration was recently shortlisted for an AFR Higher Education Award for our community engagement work. This is a testament to the great work by hundreds of staff and students over the last few years. More about the category and our nomination can be found��.

Some of the many justice-related projects currently running at the ������:

Two projects led by Collaboration members and affiliates were awarded funding by the Australian Government in the latest Linkage Projects funding round. The Australian Research Council Linkage Projects scheme supports new research tackling some of the nation’s most important challenges by bringing together universities with industry, community partners and government agencies.��

• Collaboration member Dr was awarded $542,050 for the Moral Emotions Inside project. In partnership with Corrective Services NSW, this project will investigate the implementation of an innovative humanistic education program with incarcerated women in NSW.��

• Collaboration affiliate Associate Professor was awarded $448,422 for the Digital Media for Youth Justice project. In partnership with Youth Justice NSW, The Alannah & Madeline Foundation, the Telstra Foundation and Youth Action, this project will coproduce media for education and policy with young people involved in the youth justice system to foster safe and inclusive digital media use.

You can read more about these two projects and the 14 other successful ������ Linkage Projects here.

A small team from the ������ in partnership with colleagues in industry, has come together to explore the role of Accredited Exercise�� Physiologists in criminal justice settings. With significant levels of mental illness, disabilities and diverse health needs, inmates and detainees are likely to benefit greatly from services provided Accredited Exercise Physiologists within their scope of practice and as part of multidisciplinary approach to healthcare. The team has facilitated two student projects as part of the Discipline of Exercise and Sport Science’s Project-Based Learning Initiative in youth justice settings focusing on exercise delivery within high-risk youth while another group focused on presenting a value analysis of Exercise Physiology within justice system more broadly. Other groups of students have engaged with a forensic hospital where students designed exercise-focused education and activities with Indigenous consumers within the hospital. Through experiences gained via these placements, it is clear that Accredited Exercise Physiologists could play an important role in the growing work of Allied Health Professionals in criminal justice settings.��The team is led by��Dr Timothy Davies��and includes��Professor ,��Associate Professor ,��Dr ,��, and��Associate Professor .

Bridges Inside, an initiative of��Collaboration��members Dr ��and Dr ��— in partnership with HDR students Lily Patchett and Amie Doan —��will return in 2026. Bridges Inside is a forum for students, community members, and academics interested in examining prison��justice��alongside philosophy and literature.��From August to November 2025, Bridges Inside explored “Prison and Health.” Together, participants discussed how conceptions of health shape and are shaped by the prison. Each session examined an aspect of health within the carceral space to unsettle ideas of “embodiment,” “wellbeing,” and “autonomy.” Stay tuned to find out this year's theme. More information can be found on the Bridges Inside . Subscribe to the Bridges Inside��newsletter .��

Led by Collaboration Director Associate Professor , the Human Services Hub is an initiative at the ������ to provide students who might work in one of the many human services with an opportunity to hear from practitioners, learn skills, develop professional networks and to receive updates on relevant policy reforms. A series of free events will be open to ������ students who might want to work in (but not limited to): child protection, criminal justice, disability support, alcohol and other drugs, mental health, social justice, and welfare systems/agencies. Students from the following disciplines might be especially interested in the activities of the Human Services Hub: social work, education, psychology, allied health, law, criminology, socio-legal studies, and public policy. Keep an eye out for Human Services Hub events advertised above.��

• In 2025, Associate Professor , Associate Professor ��and Dr ��worked on an Australian Institute of Criminology funded project looking at the effect of social media on youth crime. The project explored the increasing trend of performance crime. It involved an analysis of material depicting criminal conduct on social media, a consideration of the potential effects this material has on young people’s offending and an investigation of the evolving legal responses to this phenomenon. �� ��
• Funding provided by the Sydney Law School in 2025 supported an investigation of judicial attitudes towards bail support and the implications of extending current Youth Justice NSW bail supervision policy.
• Funding provided by the Sydney Policy Lab��in 2025 supported an exploration of��diversion and early intervention for young people. This project involved an investigation into the history of diversion in NSW. It also included mapping resources produced by the University that may be of assistance to those working with young people at risk of engaging in crime.��
• In semester 1 2025, students doing an Industry and Community Project Unit worked on a project for NSW Police. Students from interdisciplinary backgrounds explored the Young Offenders Act 1997 (NSW) to determine whether the Act effectively addresses the needs of today’s youth. Students also investigated if the justice system appropriately differentiates between age groups within the 10–17 range, and how age influences children’s understanding of legal proceedings.
• One Sydney Many People funding provided by the ������ supported work focused on Closing the Gap Outcome 11, reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in youth detention.
• Dr Jedidiah Evans and Dr Sam Shpall ran Moral Emotions Inside, a twelve-week course of philosophy and creative writing classes, at Dillwynia Correctional Centre in 2023. Students studied moral emotions like grief, love, and forgiveness in an intensive seminar format with lecturers from the ������, established a vibrant and respectful learning community, and applied their knowledge and experience in a self-led capstone project. A summary of the 2023 course can be accessed��here��(.pdf, 339KB).
• Postgraduate Occupational Therapy students were working with Youth Justice NSW Classification Officers to build on previous work developing resources to explain classification to young people.
• An oral history pilot project, led by��Dr Jed Evans��from the Discipline of English, involved long-term Youth Justice NSW custodial staff speaking about their experiences and insights. This pilot project is testing this approach to capturing stories from custodial staff about their experiences.
• Industry and Community Project Units��bring together students from across various disciplines and faculties/schools, to look at applying innovation and creativity to solve real-world issues. In semester 1, 2023, students looked at multicultural practice and outcomes in the Youth Justice System. In semester 2, 2023, students explored the possibilities for digital innovations in the custodial setting. Youth Justice NSW was the industry partner for this project.��
  
• Two Digital Innovation student groups worked on gamifying parts of a widely used youth justice rehabilitation program.
• Two students within the unit of study��Projects in Exercise Physiology��within the Discipline of Exercise and Sport Science in the Faculty of Medicine and Health integrated an Exercise Physiology service for young people at the Cobham Youth Justice Centre. The projects added a structured exercise delivery service in group and one-on-one dynamics that takes into account specialised needs with respect to engagement and safety.
• A group of postgraduate strategic design students worked on a digital transformation project brief for Youth Justice NSW.
  
• Two groups of Law students worked on voluntary Law Reform Projects focused on legal issues of increasing the use of digital technology in youth custody and harmonising youth justice legislation in NSW.��
• Pasifika Review -��Professor ��undertook a formal review of the��Pasifika Program��implemented by Cobham Youth Justice Centre. The program works alongside young people who identify as being from an Indigenous-Pacific heritage to further support a deeper insight and understanding of cultural strengths and perspectives that support individual and family identities alongside their well-being. This initiative strived to decrease unhelpful behaviours whilst focussing on pro-social engagement with education, vocational pursuits and employment.
• Master of Occupational Therapy students undertaking a Community Fieldwork Project Placement (OCCP5239) developed a series of��visual aid resources (pdf, 2.3MB)��for Justice New South Wales. The placement was supervised by��Associate Professor ��and supported by academic instructors at The ������.
• An��Industry and Community Project Unit��in semester 1 2023. This unit brought students from across various disciplines and faculties/schools, to look at multicultural practice and outcomes in the Youth Justice System. Youth Justice NSW was the industry partner for this project.
• Two postgraduate exercise physiology students conducted an analysis of the contribution exercise physiology can make to young people in detention. This project was supervised by��Dr Tim Davies.��
• Acoustic recordings were taken in several youth justice settings. Led by��Associate Professor ��from the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, this small project looked at the acoustics of living areas of custodial units.��
• A working group consisting of ������ and Youth Justice NSW staff explored the digital needs of the youth justice system. Digital Innovation students progressed this work in semester 1 2023.��
• Students from various ������ faculties/schools (including criminology, social work, media and communication, politics, etc.) have completed placements with Youth Justice NSW in recent years.

In addition to these student placements, students have worked on various voluntary or for-credit projects. Some have included:

• Postgraduate strategic design students completed a project in semester 2 2022, which resulted in the��'A place to go'��design guidance report��(pdf, 10.7 MB).
• Digital Innovation students have worked on various youth justice projects. During semester 1 2021 a group developed��virtual reality content��depicting the day in the life of a youth officer working in a Youth Justice Centre (YJC). This involved filming in one centre and rendering the images in virtual reality. Students enrolled in the same unit worked on two YJNSW projects in semester 1 2022 focusing on a career pathways self-guided learning tool.
• USYD Law students volunteered for the Law Reform Support Project and worked on four YJNSW projects in semester 2 2021 (bail, terrorism/high-risk offenders, traffic, and age of criminal responsibility).��
• A group of students volunteered in semester 1 2022 and extended the work on the bail/short-term remand project, including developing materials for use in police training on making bail decisions.��
• Students worked on two projects for the Children’s Court of NSW in semester 2 2022. Both projects related to the sentencing of young people in Children’s Court.

• Yassine, L., Goodwin, S. (2026) Are there a lot of rules at home? Revisiting youth justice risk assessments as a racist technology of government. The British Journal of Social Work, Published online June 21, 2026.
• Mohamed, E., Yassine, L., Goodwin, S. (2026). Governing through ‘ Othering’ : Problematising ‘culture’ in the NSW child protection system. Critical Social Policy, Published online June 26, 2026.
• Grummitt, L., Rowlinson, K., Rockett, B., Birrell, L., Daher, R., Mackenzie, N., Newton. N., Barrett, E. (2026) Creative expressive therapy in schools to address childhood trauma: a mixed methods study of a whole school trauma-informed approach. Frontiers in Health Services. 6:1818783.
• Humphry J., Hutchinson J., Boichak O. (2026) Social digital dilemmas: Young people’s and parents’ negotiation of emerging online safety issues. New Media & Society, 23(3), 1274-1294.
• Macauley, J., Bower, M., Webster, E., Harris, M., Teesson, M., Chapman, C. (2026) Health services and digital technologies used for mental health among a national cross-sectional sample of young people in Australia 2020–2022: Patterns and correlates within geographic regions. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 60(5), 462-442.
• Grummit, L., Coote, T., Howard, M., Nahleen, S., Doyle, M., McEntyre, E., Lawler, S., Bower, M., Stapinski, L., Kaye, S., Bowman, J., Barrett, E. (2026) Post-traumatic stress disorder and hazardous alcohol use among incarcerated adults: associations with criminogenic needs and reoffending in New South Wales, Australia. Advances in Dual Diagnosis, 19(2), 49-62.
• Fritchley, C., Mills K., Bower, M., Barrett, E. (2026) Client characteristics associated with early therapeutic alliance in a drug court program. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 209995.
• Toluono, A., Deans, E., Ravulo, J., Conroy, E. (2026) A qualitative study exploring the help seeking attitudes and barriers to support for Pasifika young people. Public Health in Practice, 11:100753.
• Crosland, P., Hossenini S.H., Ho, N., Skinner, A., Nguyen, K-H., Rosenberg, S., Song, Y.J.C., Marshall, D.A., Hickie, I., Occhipinti J-A., Loblay, V., Piper, S., Huntley, S., Tran, K., Vacher, C. (2026) The health and economic benefits of youth mental health system reform: exploring the optimal mix of interventions and service capacity through simulation modelling. Value in Health, Published online February 13, 2026.
• Grace, R., Karatasas, K., Ezekwem-Obi, A., Blythe, S., Wright, A.C., Ravulo, J., Hadley, F. (2026). Supporting the cultural connections of children from culturally diverse backgrounds in out-of-home care: perspectives from Australian foster and kinship carers. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, Published online January 6, 2026.
• Jamieson, S., Yassine, L. (2025). Punishment disguised as ‘help’: carcerality in the human services and the role of social work towards abolition. In Ian Hyslop, Bob Pease (Eds.), Abolition in Social Work and Human Services. Bristol UK: Bristol University Press.
• Duursma, E., Hanley, N., Evans, J., Wilson, M. (2025). Words Within Walls: A Scoping Review of Prison-Based Creative Writing. International Journal��of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 69(13-14), 1955-1977.
• Clancey, G., Lin, B. (2025). Crime Prevention and Reduction. In Ben Livings, Katherine McLachlan, Nerida Chazal, Rick Sarre (Eds.), Crime and Justice: A Guide to Criminology - Seventh Edition. Pyrmont NSW: Thomson Reuters.
• Hosseini, H., Ho, N., Huntley, S., Piper, S., Crosland, P., Skinner, A., Vacher, C., Tran, K., Nguyen, K., Song, C., Loblay, V., Iannelli, O., Clancey, G., Hickie, I., Occhipinti, J., et al (2025). Examining the Impact of Youth Mental Health Services Capacity Growth Trajectories and Digital Interventions on Youth Mental Health Outcomes: a System Dynamics Modelling Analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, (forthcoming).
• Metcalfe, L., Clancey, G., Simpson, M., Little, C., Evans, D. (2025). Reflections from an Industry and University Youth Justice Partnership. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 1–22.
• Wynter, H., Kallio, A., Lee, M., Martin, T., Ravulo, J. (2025). The dangerisation of drill music in Western Sydney: cultural signifiers, pre-crime policing and the decline of the presumption of innocence. Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 1-17.
• Kihas, I., Barrett, E., Teesson, M., Touyz, S., Newton, N., Mills, K. (2024). Co-occurring experiences of traumatic events and substance use among young people. Child Abuse and Neglect, 156, 107003.
• Fischer, L., Butler, T., Wilson, M., Schofield, P., Jones, J., Kariminia, A., Barrett, E., Dean, K., Sullivan, E., Covington, S. (2024). Exposure to Childhood Adversity and Intimate Partner Violence in a Sample of Incarcerated Women in Australia. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology.
• Grummitt, L., Bailey, S., Kelly, E., Birrell, L., Gardner, L., Halladay, J., Chapman, C., Andrews, J., Champion, K., Hunter, E., Egan, L., Conroy, C., Tiko, R., Teesson, M., Newton, N., Barrett, E., et al (2024). Refining the universal, school-based OurFutures Mental Health program to be trauma-informed, gender and sexuality diversity affirmative, and adhere to proportionate universalism: a mixed methods participatory design process. JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting, 7, e54637.
• Villanueva, L., Rouchy, E., Michel, G., Al Shawi, A., Sarhan, Y., Altaha, M., Fulano, C., El-Astal, S., Alattar, K., Shaqalaih, S., Grummitt, L., Barrett, E., Lawler, S., Newton, N., Prior, K., et al (2024). The Global Impact of Multisystemic Vulnerabilities on Criminal Variety: A Cross-Continental Study in Young Adults. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
• Bower, M., Howard, M., Stapinski, L., Doyle, M., Newton, N., Barrett, E. (2024). The profile of people entering the ‘EQUIPS’ offender treatment programs in New South Wales’. Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 36(1), 1-15.
• Clancey, G., Drumore, C., Metcalfe, L. (2024). A whole-of-university response to youth justice: Reflections on a university–youth justice partnership.��Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, 691.��
• Metcalfe, L., Little, C., Clancey, G., Evans, D. (2024). The Changing Nature of Education in Youth Justice Centres in New South Wales (Australia).��Journal of Prison Education Research, 8(1, article 5), 1-22.��
• Grummitt, L.,��Baldwin, J.,��Lafoa’I, J.,��Keyes, K.,��Barrett, E. (2024). Burden of Mental Disorders and Suicide Attributable to Childhood Maltreatment.��JAMA Psychiatry,��Published online May 8, 2024.��
• Lawler, S., Barrett, E., Teesson, M., Kelly, E., Champion, K., Debenham, J., Smout, A., Chapman, C., Slade, T., Conrod, P., Newton, N., Stapinski, L. (2024). The long-term effectiveness of a personality-targeted substance use prevention program on aggression from adolescence to early adulthood.��Psychological Medicine, 1–9.��
• Clancey, G., & Lulham, R. (Eds.). (2023).��Youth crime, youth justice and children's courts in NSW. LexisNexis. ISBN:��.
• Clancey, G., Evans, J., & Friedlander, L. (2023). Some long-term positive trends in youth detention in New South Wales (Australia).��Safer Communities,��22(1), 15-27.��https://doi.org/10.1108/SC-06-2022-0023
• Ravulo, J. (2023). A Positive Youth Development approach to addressing sexual and gender diversity with Pasifika young people in Australia. In A. Kelly-Hanku, P. Aggleton, & A. Malcolm (Eds.),��Sex and gender in the Pacific: Contemporary perspectives on sexuality, gender and health��(pp. 53-65). Routledge.��
• Lulham, R. (2023). Does design matter? An environmental psychology study in youth detention. In D. Moran, Y. Jewkes, K.-L. Blount-Hill, & V. St. John (Eds.),��The Palgrave handbook of prison design��(pp. 443-479). Palgrave.��
• Bailey, S., Grummitt, L., Birrell, L., Kelly, E., Gardner, L. A., Champion, K. E., Chapman, C., Teesson, M., Barrett, E. L., & Newton, N. (2023). Young people's evaluation of an online mental health prevention program for secondary school students: A mixed-methods formative study.��Mental Health & Prevention, 30, Article 200263.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhp.2023.200263
• Morse, A. K., Sercombe, J., Askovic, M., Fisher, A., Marel, C., Chatterton, M.-L., Kay-Lambkin, F., Barrett, E., Sunderland, M., Harvey, L., Peach, N., Teesson, M., & Mills K. L. (2023). Systematic review of the efficacy, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of stepped-care interventions for the prevention and treatment of problematic substance use. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 144, Article 108928.��
• Schollar-Root, O., Cassar, J., Peach, N., Cobham, V. E., Milne, B., Barrett, E., Back, S. E., Bendall, S., Perrin, S., Brady, K., Ross, J., Teesson, M., Kihas, I., Dobinson, K. A., & Mills, K. L. (2022). Integrated trauma-focused psychotherapy for traumatic stress and substance use: Two adolescent case studies.��Clinical Case Studies, 21(3), 192-208.��
• Deans, E., Ravulo, J., Conroy, E., & Abdo, J. (2022). A qualitative study exploring young offenders' perspectives on alcohol and other drug health promotion.��BMC Public Health, 22(1), Article 568.��
• Clancey, G., & Metcalfe, L. (2022). Inspections, reviews, inquiries and recommendations pertaining to youth justice centres in New South Wales between 2015 and 2021.��Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 34(3), 255-274.��
• Grummitt, L., Barrett, E., Kelly, E. V., Stapinski, L., & Newton, N. (2022). Personality as a possible intervention target to prevent traumatic events in adolescence.��Behavioral Sciences, 12(4), Article 90.��

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• ��– June 2024
• ��– July 2024
• ��– August 2024
• ��– September 2024
• ��– October 2024��
• ��- November 2024
• ��- December 2024��
• - February 2025
• – March 2025��  
• – April 2025��
• - May 2025��
• – June 2025
• ��- August 2025��
• ��- September 2025
• ��- October 2025��
• ��- February 2026��
• ��- March 2026
• - April 2026
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• - June 2026
• - July 2026

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