Emma Russell

Callum Godde/AAP

January 22, 2025

Prisons don’t create safer communities, so why is Australia spending billions on building them?

Emma Russell, La Trobe University; Andrew Burridge, Macquarie University; Francis Markham, Australian National University; Naama Blatman, UNSW , and Natalie Osborne, Griffith University

Research shows 37 new prisons have been built in Australia since 2000. But the evidence shows increased incarceration doesn’t help reduce crime.

DIEGO FEDELE/AAP

August 16, 2023

3 ways the Victorian government’s bail reforms fall short – and why it must embrace ‘Poccum’s Law’

Emma Russell, La Trobe University; Andreea Lachsz, University of Technology Sydney, and Sarah Schwartz, The University of Melbourne

Poccum’s Law provides a best practice, evidence-based model for bail reform which would have prevented Veronica Nelson’s death in custody.

Jono Searle/AAP

August 9, 2021

Number of women on remand in Victoria soars due to outdated bail laws

Emma Russell, La Trobe University

While tightened as part of a ‘tough on crime’ stance, the bail laws cause unintended trauma for women on remand, and should be repealed.

In recent times, Victoria has reverted to the punitive approach that once filled the Old Melbourne Gaol, with little thought for the long-term consequences. Flickr/Eva

April 12, 2015

State of imprisonment: Victoria is leading the nation backwards

Marie Segrave, Monash University; Anna Eriksson, Monash University, and Emma Russell, Monash University

Victoria was once characterised by low imprisonment rates and innovative corrections policy. The state now has Australia’s highest rate of growth in imprisonment.

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Prisons don’t create safer communities, so why is Australia spending billions on building them?

3 ways the Victorian government’s bail reforms fall short – and why it must embrace ‘Poccum’s Law’

Number of women on remand in Victoria soars due to outdated bail laws

State of imprisonment: Victoria is leading the nation backwards

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