Stalking and homicide have long been linked in the public mind, reinforced by widespread media coverage of stranger homicides involving stalking. Stalking has also been linked to homicide in the family violence sector, where intimate partner violence researchers have suggested that the presence of stalking indicates increased risk of fatal violence. However, the evidence base for such claims is weak. In this talk, Prof. McEwan will discuss the intersection of stalking and homicide and the problems with existing research that limit what we can conclude about the relationship between the two. She will present findings from a recent review of over 800 Victorian homicides that identified the prevalence of prior stalking in this population. Features of stalking homicide cases will be contrasted with what we know about those who engage in stalking violence generally. The talk will conclude with some guidance about when the presence of stalking should provoke concern about the potential for lethal violence, when it clearly should not. About the presenter Troy is a Professor of Clinical and Forensic Psychology at the Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science, Swinburne University of Technology, and a senior psychologist at Forensicare. Her research and practice over the past two decades has focussed on understanding and assessing stalking, particularly on improving risk assessment and management approaches. Troy has lead Australian Research Council funded work into risk assessment and treatment of stalking and regularly provides training to police, mental health, judicial officers and others in Australia and internationally on working with people who stalk. In addition to authoring over 60 peer-reviewed publications on stalking, family violence, sexual offending and arson, Troy is co-author of two widely used guidelines for assessing risk in stalking cases and lead author of an upcoming book on treating and managing stalking behaviour, to be published by Wiley in 2023. Click here for tickets.

Reintegration and Recovery among People in Forensic Mental Health and Criminal Legal Systems In 2023 ANZAPPL will jointly host a conference with the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services in Sydney. Please click here for further information about the conference.

There is very little literature or research directly dealing with a trauma-informed approach to victims/survivors of crime compensation and financial assistance. Importantly the literature available in relation to compensation and financial assistance schemes is usually limited to actuarial research and arguably does not apply a broad theoretical or practical approach to the issues. In this seminar Assessor Rob Guthrie will describe the processes and procedures currently adopted in Western Australia in relation to compensation for victims of crime where the Office of Criminal Injuries has been working towards a trauma-informed approach to compensation and supports for victims of crime. Click here for further information and to register.

Psychology has always been part of dispute resolution, assisting a person to deal with different types of loss experienced when expectations are shattered and may result in or occur in the context of litigation. The law provides us with the context of how to behave, and what behaviour is acceptable and what is not. Thus law and psychology sit at either ends of the continuum with mediation the primary blending agent. This talk will explore how these disciplines play a role in mediation and specifically how differing levels of grief can impact a parties attempts to restructure their lives, utilising a social constructionist approach. The importance of collectively acknowledging the effect of grief utilising the core principles of readiness, willingness and ability to discuss loss and relational aspects will be discussed. The need to use the Normative Information Session (NIS), offering parties a behavioural assignment to reinforce their own relational thinking and engage in responsible actions, within a re-constructionist model of mediation will be presented. Registration for this event is free but essential. Click here to register. Katherine Johnson was admitted as a NSW barrister in 1993, and is internationally and nationally accredited as a mediator serving on various panels including the International Mediation Institute (IMI), Papua New Guinea Supreme Court (PNG), World Law Alliance (WLA), World Mediation Organisation (WMO), the Supreme Court of NSW, and the Personal Injury Commission of NSW to name a few. Katherine is also a trainer/assessor of mediators since 2000, a family dispute resolution practitioner (FDRP), and a Guardian Ad Litem with the Department of Justice. She is now a retired counselling, organisational and community psychologist in private practice from 1984 to 2017 and is currently registered as a research psychologist. Katherine’s extensive practice in Psychology, Law and Education has led to common ground culminating in a PhD in Law majoring in Dispute resolution from Macquarie University in 2015. Her recently published thesis and handbook for practitioners, called “Mediation Quest: Making Sense of Loss,” develops a new mediation model called the "Re-Constructionist Model" which combines the insights from the field of Loss and grief in Psychology to the practical resolution of disputes in Law. Her interdisciplinary approach develops an organic model of mediation, akin to social constructionism in action that becomes an agent for social change to empower parties. By constructively responding to their own crises/losses in a meaningful way the parties, as grounded researchers, ultimately create their own form of social justice. Katherine is the Founder of PAVE the Way to PEACE, an interest group meeting in NSW Parliament House since 1996; Co-Founder, of the Dispute Resolution and Psychology Interest Group of the Australian Psychological Society (APS); Co-Founder of the Dispute Resolution Industry Forum now called the Council of Alternate Dispute Resolution (CADR); Vice President of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law (ANZAPPL) from 2010 to 2017. President of the Australian Dispute Resolution Association (ADRA) for 11 years between the years 2006 to 2023 and Vice President of ADRA for 8 years between the years from 2008 to 2019. Katherine has been called a ‘prac-ademic’ because of her attempts to constructively implement in her practice what is taught in theory but also to learn from practice, what can be generalised from grounded research to become academic knowledge.  

The number of female offenders has continued to rise in the UK, US, NZ and Australia. Despite this continued growth, females are predominantly assessed for their risk and treatment needs using risk assessment tools designed for males. Although subsequent validations for females have been conducted, the results have either been limited to a single study as in the case of the VRS or have been inconsistent in Australian samples in the case of the LS/RNR. Numerous researchers have argued the importance of gender responsivity in the assessment and treatment of female offenders with various international and Australian jurisdictions implementing gender-responsive initiatives in prison. This presentation will discuss the gender and cultural differences in the risk assessment outcomes of both general and violent offenders incarcerated in WA and provide a brief overview of gender responsive initiatives in various jurisdictions. Menna Gower has a Bachelor of Psychology, a Masters in Forensic Psychology, and is due to complete a PhD in 2023 with a focus on risk assessment and treatment of female offenders. Menna has been with the Department of Justice for over 15 years and has worked in risk assessment and program facilitation, program development and evaluation during this time. She is currently a Principal Evaluation and Research Officer within the Western Australian Office of Crime Statistics and Research at the Department of Justice and is responsible for evaluating drug and alcohol initiatives in Western Australian prisons, plus collaborating with other agencies/ universities on various research topics within criminal justice. For further information or to purchase tickets, please click here.

The interplay between substance use and psychosis is multifaceted. This presentation aims to analyse the relationship between the use of certain substances (such as cannabis and stimulant drugs) and psychotic illnesses by ulitising the causation criteria introduced by Sir Austin Bradford-Hill. Professor Olav Nielssen is a psychiatrist with long experience in forensic psychiatry working in prisons in NSW and overseas, preparing expert opinions in criminal and coronial cases, and as a psychistrist in the homeless secto. He has published around 200 articles. This event is free but numbers are limited. Please register by contacting Professor Mark Kebbell.

We are delighted to join with the College of Forensic Psychology (CFP) NSW Branch to host Professor Kristy Martire, who will present on the topic of rigorous forensic psychological assessments. This presentation is based on work she completed with Associate Professor Tess Neal (Arizona State University) as an advisor to the Joint Federal Provincial Commission into the April 2020 Nova Scotia Mass Casualty. The presentation will provide context about the Commission's interest in forensic psychological assessments, explain the process of forming their opinion for the Commission, discuss the best-practices for rigorous forensic psychological assessment identified for the Commission, explain a method they used to assess compliance with the identified best-practices, and provide illustrative examples relating to each aspect of best-practice to help practitioners reflect on and assess the scientific credibility of forensic psychological assessments they write, commission or review. There will plenty of discussion time to discuss the recommendations and implications for our respective professions and from differing legal and psychological perspectives. Please click here to register for this presentation. This presentation will be immediately preceded by the Annual General Meeting of ANZAPPL NSW. Please click here for further information. Registration for the dinner seminar is separate to registration for the AGM.

The Annual General Meeting of ANZAPPL New South Wales will take place at 5.45pm (AEDT) on Wednesday 1 March 2022, at the Parkroyal Parramatta and online via Zoom. All active members of ANZAPPL New South Wales are encouraged to attend. Please click here to access an agenda for this meeting and forms. This meeting will be immediately followed by a dinner seminar to be delivered by Professor Kristy Martire, titled 'Identifying best practices for rigorous forensic psychological assessments'. Please click here for further information. Registration for the Annual General Meeting is essential. Please click here to register. Registration for the AGM and dinner seminar are separate: if you wish to attend both, you must register separately for each.

Established under the Justice Legislation Amendment (Drug Court and other Matters) Act 2020 (Vic), the County Court Drug and Alcohol Treatment Court is a therapeutic court designed to assist those who might benefit from intensive support to address substance dependence to access appropriate services and thereby reduce their contact with the criminal justice system. Registration is required for this event. Please click here to register.   About the presenter His Honour Judge Paul Higham was appointed as a Judge of the County Court on 15 August 2017 after a career in the law spanning more than 35 years. Judge Higham was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales in 1982. While in England, as well as being a leading advocate of class revolution, he was a founding member of the Bar Lesbian and Gay group, which received the official endorsement of the British Bar Council. As an adolescent, His Honour would get beaten up on the street for his sexuality and when first applying for chambers he was told that being queer would mean he would never get a place in chambers. His Honour is now both a Judge and has a lawful wedded husband. His Honour relocated to Melbourne in 2005 and was admitted in 2006, practicing as in-house Counsel for a large Melbourne criminal law firm, before signing the Bar Roll in 2007. After being appointed to the bench in August 2017, his Honour took on the role of Head of the Sexual Offences List at the Court in January 2018. During his time as head of the List, his Honour helped implement many of the reforms instituted by the Court in recent times in regard to these specific offences including: the implementation of the special hearing reforms, which abolished committals for sexual offence cases involving a child complainant or person with a cognitive impairment leading the way the Court’s IT team, to develop a process and utilise remote platforms which enabled special hearings to continue during COVID-19 restrictions After more than three years, His Honour stood down as Head of the List in May 2021 in order to focus on the implementation of the County Court Drug and Alcohol Treatment Count (DATC) as the Inaugural Head of the Court. His Honour is also currently the Vice-President of the International Commission of Jurists Victoria (ICJV).

The promise of bringing together the disciplines of psychiatry, psychology and law in the development of forensic clinical practice has long been recognised. The extent to which the possibilities have been fully realised is questionable. Collaboration across the disciplines was meant to enhance clinical practice, ensure high standards in court reports, address inequity in forensic mental health care, enhance community safety and better address relevant issues in family law and civil law. This talk will provide a discussion of the early aims and opportunities in forensic clinical practice (i.e., correctional, forensic mental health, civil forensic) and will consider the extent to which they have been met. While clear progress has been made in some areas, we have struggled to realise our potential in others. given the applied and public service nature of the work forensic practitioners do, relevant public policy initiatives will be considered. Time will be allotted for a discussion with the audience as part of the address. This lecture will be held at 6:30pm (AEDT) on Thursday 15 December 2022 at The Capitol, 113 Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC 3000. Attendance is free but registration is essential. James Ogloff is trained as a lawyer and psychologist. He is the University Distinguished Professor of Forensic Behavioural Science and Dean, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology. He is also a Special Advisor at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health (Forensicare). Until the middle of this year, he held the role of Executive Director of Psychological Services and Research at Forensicare. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2015 for significant service to education and to the law as a forensic psychologist, academic, researcher, and practitioner. Professor Ogloff has specific expertise in forensic psychology, correctional and forensic mental health, mental health law, and the assessment and management of offenders. He commenced clinical work in 1982. In this capacity, he has assessed and assisted with the management of some of the most difficult offenders in Australia and abroad. He has played a significant role in service development and delivery in correctional mental health (having served as British Columbia’s first Director of Mental Health Services for Corrections) and forensic mental health (as the longest serving member of the executive leadership team at Forensicare). He has led many consultations and reviews across justice, health, youth justice, corrections, and forensic mental services. Professor Ogloff is a Past-President of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law and a former Chair of the College of Forensic Psychologists of the Australian Psychological Society. He is a Past-President of the Canadian Psychological Association and a Past-President of the American Psychology-Law Society. He has published 18 books and more than 350 scholarly articles and book chapters. He has been the senior supervisor for more than 70 doctoral students and has served as editor and associate editor of leading scholarly journals in his field. He is the recipient of the distinguished contributions awards in law and psychology/forensic psychology from the Australian Psychological Society, the Canadian Psychological Association, and the American Psychology-Law Society.

The Annual General Meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law (Victoria) will take place at 6.00pm on Thursday 15 December 2022 at The Capitol, 113 Swanston Street, Melbourne. All active members of ANZAPPL Victoria are welcome to attend. You may attend the AGM online if you cannot do so in person. A Zoom link will be circulated to all members on the day of the meeting. Alternatively, you may appoint another member as a proxy if you are unable to attend. Active members of the Association can access further information, including nomination and proxy voting forms, from this page. The event will be followed by the Annual Lecture, to be delivered by Professor James R. P. Ogloff AM FAPS and entitled 'Two steps forward, one step back: the evolution of forensic mental health practice'. Additional information about the Annual Lecture and registration can be found here.

The 42nd ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Association will take place at 12.30pm on Thursday, 24th November 2022 at the ANZAPPL Congress, Hilton, Adelaide, South Australia, and via Zoom. Proxies may be submitted using the appropriate form provided in conjunction with this Notice. A Zoom link will follow closer to the meeting. Documentation for the Annual General Meeting can be found here. Only active members of the Association can access this link. AGENDA Circulate attendance list for signing Welcome by ANZAPPL President, Vincenzo Caltabiano Apologies and proxies Confirmation of minutes for the 41st Annual General Meeting President’s report Secretary’s Report Treasurer’s report Journal Editor’s report Website and media report Election of officers Nominations for and election of President Nominations for and election of President-Elect. Nominations for and election of Treasurer. Nominations for and election of Assistant Treasurer. Nominations for and election of Secretary. Nominations for and election of Assistant Secretary. Nominations for and election of Ordinary Members. [(Under Clause 50 of the Constitution, separate elections must be held for each of the positions of (a) President; (b) President-Elect; (c) Secretary; and (d) Treasurer. Under Clause 51, a single election may be held to appoint the other members with the exception of immediate Past President]   Branch reports Any other business Motions requiring members decisions:

ANZAPPL (SA Branch) Annual General Meeting 2022 The SA Branch AGM will be held during this year's Annual Congress, in Adelaide at the Hilton Hotel on Wendesday 23 November at 4.30pm, followed by Congress Welcome Drinks. Papers will be emailed to SA members.

The 41st Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law Annual Congress will be held in Adelaide from 23 – 25 November 2022. It’s been more than two years since the last in-person Congress, and we are looking forward to being reunited again ‘in real life’, reconnecting with colleagues and taking part in meaningful discussions in November this year. From learnings to trends, to what’s in store for the future for our community – we will have sessions loaded with information you will not want to miss.  This of course will be set against the backdrop of Adelaide, a thriving Australian city, with a burgeoning bar and dining scene and world-class art and music. ANZAPPL looks forward to welcoming you to Adelaide. Please visit the Congress website for more details.

This seminar will follow the ANZAPPL WA Annual General Meeting. Further information about the AGM can be found here. Registration for the Annual General Meeting and lecture are essential. Please click here to register. Dr David Curnow has been a Forensic Psychologist for over 20 years. In 2011 he was awarded his PhD in psychology from Monash University after researching while collar offenders. David’s career spans state and federal governments, private practice and research agencies. For the past 8 years he has been in decision making roles at the Adult Parole Board and since 2020 the Post Sentence Authority of Victoria. In private practice, David has delivered psychological treatment to diverse client groups, training clinicians and corporate groups and reports to courts on criminal, civil and family law matters. He has presented his research at over 25 national and international conferences and lectures in Forensic Psychology at several Melbourne-based universities. David was a member of the Standards Australia committee which reviewed Fraud and Corruption Control Standard (AS8001) releasing the update in 2021 by Palgrave Macmillan. David is presenting here in a private practice capacity. David’s presentation will be live streamed from Victoria and will include: An overview of the fraud and embezzlement landscape. Models of embezzlement and fraud including the Psychology of the Embezzler Model. The role psychology can play in the prevention of embezzlement, fraud and corruption