By Lisa Flowers

The digitalisation of courtrooms brings both opportunities and challenges to the judicial process, shaping our understandings of trials and their participants in a myriad of, at times, unexpected ways, and transforming how we participate in, attend, engage with, and consume trials. While digital tools offer potential benefits, they can also impact core aspects of judicial integrity, such as the conduct of legal proceedings and participants’ experiences, as well as introducing additional layers of complexity – sometimes problematic – in how trials are portrayed in popular culture. By exploring these developments, the book highlights the importance of a thoughtful approach to digital integration – one that carefully considers its implications for procedural fairness, public trust, and the perceived legitimacy of the legal system. The author examines the social construction of courts in the digital age, arguing that digitalisation is not merely transforming the tools of justice but also redefining the very essence of the justice experience and reshaping our perceptions of trials and their participants. The work will be a valuable resource for scholars and students in the social sciences, law and all those interested in digitalisation and society.

London; New York: Routledge, 2025. 166p.

By Women's Aid Child First

Nineteen More Child Homicides is the third report published by Women’s Aid in the past three decades as part of Women’s Aid Child First campaign. This report tells the stories of children who have been killed by a parent who is a perpetrator of domestic abuse through child contact (formally or informally arranged). Nearly a decade on from the publication of Nineteen Child Homicides, this report documents a further 19 children’s lives that have been lost as a result of unsafe contact arrangements. These findings illustrate the need for a culture shift at all levels to domestic abuse from professionals involved in child contact arrangements, whether informal and formal. 

Bristol:  Women’s Aid, June 2025   62p.

By Jorge Ruiz Reyes, Derek Congram, Renée A. Sirbu, Luciano Floridi

The disappearances of individuals are complex phenomena, spanning different regions and temporal periods. Evolving from different legal, social, and forensic disciplines, existing research has signaled the reasons for and contexts in which people disappear or go missing, as well as the development of investigative tools that assist, in fatal cases, in their identification. However, a different type of applied research, which we have labelled as data-based disappearance analysis (DDA), can offer statistical techniques to support the search for missing persons. In this paper, we review the literature on DDA, paying close attention to the evolution of this methodology and its contextual relevance. We highlight three applications by which DDA may support the search for missing persons: statistical inference, geospatial tools, and machine learning models and artificial intelligence. We demonstrate significant results using these applications, the potential misuses and ethical concerns, and draw lessons from their use. Lastly, we make recommendations to help researchers and practitioners support the search for missing persons.

Unpublished paper 2024

By Kerry L. Papps 

The effects on criminal behaviour of raising the minimum wage for those aged 25 and over in the United Kingdom are analysed, using data on police stop and search activities. A 1% increase in the minimum wage raises the fraction of people stopped by the police by 2.96%, the fraction of people caught with an incriminating item by 1.43%, and the fraction of people arrested as a consequence by 1.27%. This effect is almost entirely driven by drug searches made outside business hours, suggesting that the minimum wage raises crime principally by raising disposable income – and drug consumption – among workers. 

IZA DP No. 17989  Bonn: IZA – Institute of Labor Economics, 2025. 27p.

By Ian Tennant, Simone Haysom, Tiphaine Chapeau

In October 2024, Brazil, France, and Peru tabled a resolution at the 12th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) for a new intergovernmental process to take stock of how the convention addresses crimes that affect the environment. In addition, the resolution called for possible gaps to be identified in the current international legal framework to prevent and combat these crimes, and to discuss whether any additional protocol should be developed. The work of the new intergovernmental expert group (IEG) will therefore become a key focus of multilateral discussions on environmental crimes in the future. The first meeting of this group will take place in Vienna from 30 June to 2 July 2025, and may be followed by a second meeting in early 2026, ahead of the 15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in the United Arab Emirates in April. The group will be expected to report on its work at the 13th UNTOC COP in October 2026. This new process is the culmination of a long-brewing movement towards addressing environmental crimes beyond what can be controlled through CITES. For example, it builds on progress made at France’s initiative to push forward resolutions on environmental crime that are within the scope of existing UN instruments. In 2022, Resolution 31/1 of the UN Commission of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) called for views on a potential new protocol on wildlife trafficking to be collected, following a campaign led by the Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime consortium, which had high-profile government support from countries such as Angola, Kenya, Peru and Gabon, but for which consensus could not be reached as part of UN General Assembly Resolution 75/311 on wildlife trafficking. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has published several analyses of what it calls the ‘patchwork’ of existing legislation, and documented member states’ views on the topic through questionnaires coming out of the latest CCPCJ and UNTOC resolutions. Calls for discussions on updating the international legal framework on environmental crimes, including potentially a new protocol, date back even further. For example, a joint paper by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) and the World Wildlife Fund was launched at the 13th UN Crime Congress in Doha in 2015, and the UN system itself has adopted calls for further action since 2014, primarily with regard to the illegal wildlife trade. Environmental criminal markets have changed considerably since, increasing the need for the urgent updating of the existing multilateral response. Crimes that affect the environment are deeply globalized and require diverse action across value chains, including in transit countries, to be successfully combatted. Moreover, incentives for actions and consequences for inaction are grossly skewed across the globe, and preventive and remedial measures, convictions and recovery of proceeds from these crimes often lag behind. Despite some progress – notably on trafficking in wildlife, and especially in some iconic species – it has not been enough. It has never been clearer that more internationally coordinated action and globally funded and resourced responses are needed.

Geneva: ECO-SOLVE Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, 2024. 30p.

By Peace in Our Cities

From February 25 to 27, Peace in Our Cities (PiOC) members and experts, particularly from the African continent, met in Nairobi, Kenya, for the first Regional Workshop of the PiOC network, organized in partnership with the Life & Peace Institute (LPI). This regionally-focused workshop brought together PiOC member cities and representatives for knowledge exchange and experiential learning on topics such as gender-based violence, youth, data and technology, climate change, and organized criminal violence in the unique context of Africa’s rapid urbanization and social change. The three-day workshop included discussions, training sessions, and site visits to informal settlements of Nairobi, all to explore community-specific violence prevention strategies on the most pressing topics related to urban violence in the region. Cross-cutting insights across workshop elements included: – Violence as a complex phenomenon: Participants emphasized that violence is a multi-pronged and interconnected crisis, involving issues related to governance, gender, inequality, housing, climate change, unemployment, political participation, and more. – Prevention over suppression: Participants agreed that it is not enough to take action to stop violence as it happens, but that governments and other stakeholders need to identify and address the root causes of violence through holistic and whole-ofsociety approaches. – The need to build trust between the community and law enforcement: Participants expressed the importance of creating bridges between the community and the police. Although policing cannot be seen as the sole solution to violence prevention, it is crucial that community members can see law enforcement as reliable, safe, and responsive. – Young people as agents of change: Throughout the discussions, participants remarked that young people feel alienated from political conversations and decision-making, highlighting the need to elevate young people’s voices in discussions related to violence prevention. – Data as a tool for violence prevention: Participants highlighted the importance of using data to understand the violence that affects their communities and design more effective and bettertargeted violence prevention strategies, while expressing their concerns surrounding resource constraints. – Responding to challenges with better institutions and effective governance: Participants remarked on the need to build institutions and governance practices that can answer emerging global challenges such as organized crime, changes in the international funding landscape, and climate-related threats. – Networking and strategic partnerships: different sessions throughout the workshop brought to the fore the importance of coalition building between civil society actors and partnerships with key state actors to bridge the gap between policy and practice and ensure long-term sustainability of efforts to address urban violence. The workshop provided an opportunity for PiOC members to share their approaches and explore critical linkages for continued engagement 

Peace in Our Cities, 2025. 14p.

By Vicky Bungay , Linda Dewar , Mary Schoening , Adrian Guta , Wendy Leiper , Sunny Jiao 

Outreach is an important approach to improve health and social care for women experiencing street involvement (SI) or gender-based violence (GBV). Few studies have examined outreach approaches that incorporate SI and GBV. Drawing on feminist theories and principles of community-based research, we detail an inclusive co-design approach for an outreach intervention considering these interrelated contexts. Women with lived experience, researchers, and service leaders drew on research and experiential knowledge to define outreach engagement principles: tackling GBV, personhood and relational engagement, trauma-informed engagement, and harm reduction engagement. The resulting intervention integrates these principles to enable building and sustaining relationships to facilitate care.

Violence Against Women, 2024 Jun;30(8):1760-1782.

By Tim Dekkers

As migration is increasingly seen as a matter of security, migration control and crime control seem to be merging, a process also referred to as crimmigration. To distinguish between migrants that are wanted and those who are not, new technologies are introduced regularly and existing technologies are increasingly interconnected. This could lead to what is called function creep: technology developed for a specific purpose over time being used for other purposes as well. This article aims to explore the relation between crimmigration and function creep by examining a case study of a smart camera system called Amigo-boras used by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. While originally designed to assist in enforcing migration law, recent developments allow the RNM to use Amigo-boras for crime control purposes as well. This article will uncover what the rationales behind this function creep in the use of the Amigo-Boras system are/were – both from a street-level and policy-level perspective – and how these relate to crimmigration. The data shows that concerns of cross-border crime are an important reason to use Amigo-boras for more than just migration control. As a result, a significant element of crime control is introduced in Dutch migration control, pushing the crimmigration process further.

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Volume 46, 2020 - Issue 9

By Christopher Inkpen, Jonathan Holt, John Bollenbacher, Heather Deforge, Lilly Yu, Pranav Athimuthu, Nicole Jasperson, Renata Zablocka, Nick Kruskamp

This report, funded by the National Institute of Justice (award #: 2020-R2-CX-0027) and prepared by RTI International, describes the results of a National Institute of Justice-funded research study that uses advanced analytical methods and novel datasets to explore the complex relationship between immigration, crime, and crime reporting at the neighborhood level. The study, which employs crime and crime reporting data from ten jurisdictions across the United States paired with a synthetic population that estimates the unauthorized immigrant population, aims to provide an in-depth analysis at the Census tract level. Analyses focus on unauthorized immigration and its correlation with drug, property, and violent crime rates, while accounting for crime reporting in traditional and emerging immigrant destinations along with sites with low foreign populations. BackgroundL  Despite persistent political discourse linking immigration and increases in crime, most academic research contradicts this notion, showing either a negative or null relationship between immigration and crime. At the individual level, first-generation immigrants tend to have lower arrest rates than native-born citizens. Yet this trend diminishes with subsequent generations, as the children of first-generation immigrants (i.e., second generation immigrants) are often arrested at similar rates to children of native-born citizens. However, few studies assess the relationship between documentation status and offending. Macro-level analyses that focus on crime and immigration in specific areas reveal that areas with higher immigrant populations often experience lower crime rates or that the prevalence of immigrants in an area is not associated with an increase in arrests. Yet these studies frequently omit distinctions in documentation status, as these data are often unavailable. Further, many macro-level analyses are conducted at the county, state, or city level, which may obscure relationships observed at local levels. This study also attempts to control for the nuances of crime reporting among immigrant populations. Immigrant neighborhoods, especially those in emerging destinations, show lower rates of crime reporting. Trust in the police and fear of deportation are potentially significant factors influencing the likelihood of underreporting crimes. highlighting the importance of community-police relations. Strong police-community relations are crucial for public safety as they foster trust and cooperation, leading to more accurate crime reporting, effective law enforcement, and safer spaces. Methodology and Data Sources This study uses a variety of data sources to analyze the relationship between the presence of unauthorized immigrants in a Census tract and corresponding crime rates. Synthetic Population Development Traditional methods for estimating the unauthorized immigrant population in the United States rely on either demographic accounting or model-based survey imputation techniques. Defined simply, demographic accounting involves subtracting the estimated number of legally present immigrants from the total foreign-born population recorded in U.S. Census Bureau surveys. These techniques may also employ logical edits to large survey datasets that use characteristics like age, education, and place of birth to infer unauthorized status. Model-based survey imputation techniques combine data from different survey datasets to estimate unauthorized status in nationally representative surveys, using statistical techniques to merge information from surveys with immigration queries and those with extensive geographic detail. This study builds on the work of model-based imputation methods by developing models that predict unauthorized status in a survey dataset and applying them to a synthetic population of the United States, based on U.S. Census Bureau survey datasets. This approach allows for granular estimates of unauthorized immigrant populations at the Census tract level. By combining data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and the American Community Survey (ACS), the study developed a robust model to predict unauthorized status and produced Census tract-level estimates of the unauthorized immigrant population for 2019. Validation efforts for these estimates included comparisons with county- and state-level estimates from sources like the Migration Policy Institute and Pew Research Center along with scaling local estimates to meet state-level figures 

Research Triangle Park, NC: RTI International, 2024. 53p.

By Mia-Maria Magnusson

The well-being of neighbourhoods in terms of socioeconomic conditions constitutes an important element in analyses focused on the explanation of crime trends and public safety. Recent developments in Sweden concerning gun violence and open drug scenes are worrying and the police are under a great deal of pressure to resolve the situation in many neighbourhoods, which is in turn affecting Swedish society as a whole. This study focuses on micro areas in terms of sociodemographic factors and the presence of drug markets and gun violence. The aim is to explore the relationship between these factors and what characterises areas that are experiencing the greatest difficulties. The study develops an index for the prediction of gun violence in micro areas, in this study portrayed by vector grids. The findings show an overlap between gun violence and drug markets and that micro areas in that overlap share harsh sociodemographic conditions. The study produces an index indicating the probability that a grid cell would experience gun violence. The index was then validated using recent gun incidents, and was found to have high accuracy. The resulting grids constitute a suitable target for resource allocation by police and other actors. This could facilitate a more accurate and precise focus for measures to prevent areas from becoming—or to disrupt already existing—hot spots for gun violence.

Eur J Crim Policy Res 31, 151–172 (2025)

By Chiara Redaelli, and Carlos Arévalo 

 This article aims to clarify how international humanitarian law (IHL) rules on targeting apply when drug cartels are party to a non-international armed conflict. The question of distinguishing between a cartel’s armed forces and the rest of the cartel members is a pertinent matter. It is crucial to avoid considering every drug dealer a legitimate target, just as we do not consider that everyone working for the government is a legitimate target. Nevertheless, it is unclear at what point a member of a cartel would change from being a criminal to being a member of the armed wing of the cartel, hence becoming a legitimate target. The present article will suggest a teleological approach to solving this conundrum. 

International Review of the Red Cross (2023), 105 (923), 652–673. 

By Martina Baradel & Niles Breuer

This paper addresses a significant gap in drug market literature by examining high-level drug trafficking networks in Japan. We focus on three aspects: the structure of drug importation networks, the impact of transport methods on these structures, and the role of Japan’s mafia, the yakuza. Using novel statistical techniques that extend exponential random graph models (ERGMs) to multi-network samples, we analyse 573 Japanese trial documents on wholesale drug importation. We test the theory that trafficking operations with higher information-processing demands exhibit more efficiency-oriented network structures, while governance-type groups avoid expanding into trade activities. Our findings support these theories, showing that networks with higher information-processing demands are more efficiency-oriented but maintain security. Conversely, smaller networks with simpler transport methods prioritise security and concealment. Additionally, the yakuza do not organisationally engage in drug trafficking; when involved, yakuza members act as independent entrepreneurs.

Global Crime Volume 25, 2024 - Issue 3-4

By Thomas Joyce

While existing research has readily applied perspectives garnered from open and closed market dealing to conceptualise darknet drug vending, this has been done without clear empirical consideration of the applicability of traditional market dealing to darknet drug vending. This research addresses this gap by considering these three forms of drug dealing in light of key typological features: motivation, environment, methods, business model, and offender profile. These features are then applied to 80 arrest cases of high-level darknet vendors to determine their applicability in understanding vendor behaviour. The results show that high-level darknet drug vendors reflect the characteristics of their highly anonymised, libertarian market, distinguishing them from traditional drug sellers.

Trends Organ Crim (2025)

By Manuel Sánchez-Pérez, María Belén Marín-Carrillo, María Dolores Illescas-Manzano & Zohair Souilim 

Despite the social, health, law enforcement, and economic importance of illegal drug supply, the lack of information and understanding regarding these supply chains stands out. This paper carries out a disaggregated analysis of the structure of the hashish supply chain from Morocco to Europe to explain the value contributions at each level, the end-price formation, and the supply chain management practices. The methodology adopted is based on a mixed method of data collection where the primary data are gathered from field interviews with cannabis producers and dealers and secondary information is obtained from official statistics, research papers, informational reports, and documentaries. We review supply and value chain frameworks through the lens of cost–benefit analysis. Our main findings show an unequal contribution on the part of the different levels of distribution, with end-user prices increasing by 7000% of the cost of production during the supply chain. The chain also has high variable costs but limited fixed ones, exacerbating the lack of stability and fostering continuous adaptation. We also detect a reluctance to raise end-user prices but a great propensity to change quality. This research may have implications for several stakeholders. In the case of dealers, we find that they have created a supply-push system thanks to their dominant power, leaning on information sharing as a source of resilience. In the case of law enforcement, we delve into the operational functioning of the drug chain and the reasons for its survival. For financial investigation operations, unknown or unrealized economic parameters are quantified. For development agencies, the need to implement alternative development programs for producers is evidenced. Finally, for health authorities, we highlight the consequences of seizures and prohibitions of hashish trafficking on the deterioration of the quality of hashish and the subsequently added health hazards for end-users.

Humanit Soc Sci Commun 10, 276 (2023)

By Janette L. Smith, Jared Brown, David Atefi, Thanjira Jiranantakan, Vanessa Shaw, Christopher Ewers, Lorraine du Toit-Prinsloo, Darren M. Roberts

Novel opioids, including non-medical and non-opium-based opioids such as fentanyl analogues and nitazenes, pose a significant risk of harm due to their high potency. There is little published data on novel opioid detections and harms in Australia, yet they are implicated in multiple deaths. This study describes the detections and harms of novel opioids in New South Wales.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was conducted using four statewide datasets: Coronial Toxicology, the Illicit Drug Analysis Unit, the Prescription, Recreational and Illicit Substance Evaluation Program (PRISE), and the NSW Poisons Information Centre. These datasets were interrogated for available data (cases or substances seized by police) on novel opioid detections between 1 January 2019 and 31 May 2024.

Results

Overall, there were 106 novel opioid detections in 103 cases. PRISE identified 91% of clinical cases, reflecting the program's reach. Fentanyl analogues predominated until 2021, whereas nitazenes predominated from 2022. Most detections were acetylfentanyl (n = 54), followed by isotonitazene detections (n = 13). Positive detections were more frequent in urine compared to blood, supporting testing on both samples. Overall numbers were low, but they were often associated with harm, including deaths.

Discussion and Conclusions

We anticipate that these data underestimate the harms from novel opioids; for example, these drugs are not being tested routinely in laboratory testing of biological samples, and not all police seizures are analysed. A change in the predominant novel opioid was observed during the study period. Enhancing systems for readiness to detect and respond to novel opioids is vital, including resourcing laboratories.

Drug Alcohol Rev. 2025;1–11

By Plan International

The result of collaboration between Plan International and CNN As Equals to hear directly from young women and girls about the harms they face online, how they protect themselves and how tech companies, governments, local communities and their own families should play their part in keeping them safe.1 The intention was to give young women and girls an opportunity to not only talk about their digital lives but also share what they believe is needed for a safer digital future. The research built upon the insights gained from previous Plan International and CNN As Equals work in this area. This includes Plan’s ‘The Truth Gap’ in 2021 which explored misinformation online and ‘Free to be Online' in 2020 which investigated the online harassment girls have faced, as well as the CNN As Equals series ‘Systems Error’.   

Surrey, UK: Plan International 2024. 46p.p.

By Madison Lloyd, Alice Campbell, Amie Carrington, and Janeen Baxter

Domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV) is a pervasive and growing issue in Australia. Despite government-led national plans to reduce this violence in Australia, there is evidence that rates are increasing and incidences are becoming more severe. DFSV support agencies offer a range of services to support victim-survivors including targeted support to assist clients to leave violent relationships, access housing, legal and counselling support, as well as offering emotional and social support and support to recognise and define abusive and violent behaviour. 

This paper argues that these services also have the potential to lead to social change at a structural level as suggested by a reverse dominance coalition framework. 

Inequalities persist when they are normalised and celebrated by society. 'Reverse dominance coalitions' make cultural change possible by establishing large collectives of people who speak out in solidarity, develop alliances and collectively establish expectations of equality.

Data from interviews of victim-survivors is used to illustrate the applicability of the reverse dominance coalition framework to DFSV support services. 

The paper finds that the framework offers a means of understanding how support at an individual level to victim-survivors also has broader transformative power to change societal awareness, attitudes and responses. It concludes that DFSV agencies not only assist DFSV victims to recover and heal but also play a leadership role in promoting broader changes at the community, policy and societal level. 

Life Course Centre Working Paper Series No. 2025-14

Sydney: The Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course , 2025. 30p

By Anthony Morgan and Alexandra Voce

Espionage has become one of the most significant national security threats to Australia, impacting government, businesses and the university sector. The highly secretive nature of espionage makes it extremely difficult to measure. In this study we estimated, for the first time, the actual and prevented costs of espionage. Building on the Australian Institute of Criminology’s method for measuring the costs of serious and organised crime, we estimated the mitigation and response costs and the direct costs of espionage impacting Australia. We also estimated the preventable costs associated with a number of possible scenarios. The numbers are conservative and an underestimate of the true cost, given the challenges in identifying and measuring espionage activity and its consequences.

In 2023–24, espionage cost Australia at least $12.5 billion. This includes the direct costs of the consequences of known or probable espionage activity – primarily losses due to state or state-sponsored cyber attacks, insider threats and intellectual property theft – as well as the public and private sector response, remediation and mitigation costs. There are also tens of billions in additional costs that Australia may have prevented by countering potential espionage. For example, in just one week, a single incident of espionage-enabled sabotage from a large-scale cyber attack could cost the Australian economy nearly $6 billion. These prevented costs are significant, and highlight the importance and benefit of investing in efforts to reduce the threat of espionage and minimise the harm in high-risk settings.

Special reports. Bi, 21

Canberra: Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. 2025. 52p.

By Bridget Harris and Delanie Woodlock

This research explores experiences of technology-facilitated abuse among women living with intellectual or cognitive disability. The findings are based on interviews with women with intellectual or cognitive disability and frontline workers who provide support services.

This research was commissioned to address major gaps in the evidence about technology-facilitated abuse against women with intellectual or cognitive disability.

The report reveals that the tactics used for technology-facilitated abuse of women with intellectual or cognitive disability are like those faced by all women, but there are some unique differences.

Key recommendations:

• The research participants were eager to learn about safer ways to use technology and would like accessible information to be available, such as visual guides and documents in Easy Read formats.

• The frontline workers recommended an integrated approach between the domestic and family violence sector, the disability sector and the justice system, to improve service provision.

Canberra; Office of the eSafety Commissioner, 2021. 61p.

In 2024, the Office of the eSafety Commissioner gave their first periodic notices on child sexual exploitation and abuse material and activity (CSEA) to eight online service providers: Apple, Discord, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Skype, Snap and WhatsApp.

These providers are required to respond to the questions in eSafety’s notice every six months commencing 15 June 2024 for a total period of 24 months. This report contains a summary of each of the providers' responses and shines a light on online industry action against child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Key findings

• Despite the availability of technology to help detect child sexual exploitation and abuse livestreaming or video calls, no providers were using it on all parts of their service(s).

• While most services were using tools to detect new CSEA, some were not.

• While most services provided user reporting options and stated they responded to user reports in a reasonable amount of time, there were some providers who took much longer.

• While most providers were using hash-matching on their services (other than end-to-end encrypted services or parts of services) not all services were using this tool.

• There are tools, such as language analysis tools, that services can use to detect sexual extortion and stop this criminal activity, but not all of them were using these tools and not all tools were calibrated to keep users of all ages safe.

Canberra: Office of the eSafety Commissioner, 2025. 156p.