Ms Amanda Bodker1, Dr James Ogilvie1
1Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
Biography:
Amanda Bodker is a PhD candidate at Griffith University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Amanda has worked as a research assistant for 6 years, including on four major funded research projects. Amanda's PhD project focuses on the preventive detention of Australian sexual offenders and the impact of related policies.
Abstract:
Given the limited Australian research on DSO legislation, this study reviewed international preventive detention law and practices which provided a comparative context for Queensland. While Queensland was the primary focus, other Western jurisdictions explored were the United States, New Zealand, Norway, and England and Wales. The current study highlighted the similarities and differences in their legislation and related psychiatric, psychological, and human rights practices. Across jurisdictions, the threshold for imposing preventive detention, the timing of notification, and the role of psychological risk assessments vary significantly. Within Australia, Queensland’s DPSOA is the longest standing but least studied regime of its kind. Implications of our findings for policy, practice, and future research are presented.