| After studying my undergraduate degree at Deakin University,
I completed honours in psychology at the University of South Australia. I commenced my PhD
in 1998 and am hoping to complete this year. My thesis is titled "Predictors of
differential use of discretionary powers: A study of two jurisdictions". More
specifically, I am hoping to discover what attitudes police officers have that may
influence their course of action when dealing with juvenile offenders. Some of the
attitudes I am focusing on include cynicism, legal authoritarianism, punitiveness,
attributions, empathy and just world beliefs. The interest in this area grew out of the
work for my honours thesis where I evaluated a pilot program, to divert young offenders
from the juvenile justice system, at a metropolitan police station.
I am a research assistant at the Forensic & Applied Psychology Research Group City
East and have been involved in the Anger Management project, Victorian Parenting project
and the Operation Flinders Foundation project. I am also a tutor in Education (Educational
Psychology) at the Underdale Campus. |
