Research Tuesdays - Youth justice reform

Youth crime has significant social and economic costs in Australia, with damages reaching billions of dollars annually. Despite this, ineffective 'tough-on-crime' approaches prevail.  

Research shows that most justice-involved young people have experienced significant adversity and maltreatment in their lives. We also know that destructive behaviours related to this are only worsened by punitive responses. The question must be asked: is our system simply criminalising childhood trauma and disadvantage?

Advocates have persistently called for reform and, in this, the University of Adelaide is leading the charge. Our researchers are identifying innovative approaches that prioritise the best interests of those in the system. By bringing together the knowledge and expertise of young people, First Nations communities, policymakers, and practitioners, they're developing new, effective ways to meet the needs of justice-involved children and keep the community safe.

Join us in exploring the future of youth justice in Australia.

The presenter
Associate Professsor Catia Malvaso is an academic in the School of Psychology and criminal justice research lead with BetterStart Health and Development research in the School of Public Health at the University of Adelaide. Catia leads a program of research on understanding pathways between the child protection, youth justice and adult criminal justice systems, with the overarching goal of identifying prevention and early investment opportunities to improve outcomes for children, families and communities. She was awarded a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) from the Australian Research Council in 2019, an Early Career Researcher Prize from the American Society of Criminology in 2020, and, in 2021, an Australian Institute of Policy and Science Tall Poppy Award for excellence in research achievement and community engagement.