Community Justice in Australia: Knowledge, Skills and Values

This new edition of Community Justice in Australia expands on the discussion of how people who have committed offences can be engaged in the community. It considers how the concept of community justice can be successfully applied within Australia by social workers, criminologists, parole officers and anyone working in the community with both adults and young people.

The book defines community justice and applies the concept to the Australian context. It then explains theories of offending behaviour, considers relevant Australian legislation, policy and intervention strategies and examines the implications for both young people and adults. Restorative justice is also discussed. The latter part of the book focuses on practical issues including working in community justice organisations, technology, public protection and desistance approaches. Each chapter contains an engagement with the implications of community justice approaches for Indigenous groups and features reflective questions, practical tasks and guidance for further reading.

This accessible and practical book will be indispensable for instructors, students and practitioners working in the community with people who have committed offences.

Brian Stout is Pro Vice Chancellor of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Professor of Social Work at Western Sydney University, Australia. He has practiced, taught and researched community justice in Northern Ireland, England, South Africa and Australia. He is author of Equality and Diversity in Policing (2010) and numerous chapters and journal articles. He is also editor of Applied Criminology (2008).