Data are the foundation on which public policy is based. Good policy requires good information. Unfortunately, in many policy areas, data are not adequate and policymakers often have to “fly blind”. Criminal justice policy, and especially illicit drug policy, often suffers from poor data. As a result, where we invest our limited resources, and what differences they make in the long run, are often the product of hunch rather than fact.
At the Australian Institute of Criminology, we are committed to improving the quality of data in criminal justice. Our work on Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA), discussed below, is an example of how we contribute knowledge for policy. This Trends and Issues discusses this and some of the other means by which Australian data on illicit drugs and their relationship to criminal activity might be improved.
References
Note: The full list of references for this report were not included on the original print publication.
Full list of references
- ABCI 1999, Australian Illicit Drug Report, 1997-98, ABCI, Canberra.
- ABCI 1997, Australian Illicit Drug Report, 1996-97, ABCI, Canberra.
- Baker, J 1998, Juveniles in Crime-Part 1: Participation Rates and Risk Factors, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Sydney.
- Indermaur, D 1996, 'Violent Crime in Australia: Interpreting the Trends', Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, no. 61, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra.
- Lough, G 1997, 'Law enforcement and harm reduction: Mutually exclusive or mutually compatible?', International Journal of Drug Policy, vol. 9, pp. 167-75.
- McKetin, R, Darke, S, Hayes, A & Rumbold, G 1998, Drug Trends, 1998, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney.
- Makkai, T 1994, Patterns of Drug Use: Australia and the United States, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.
- Makkai, T 1997, 'Alcohol and Disorder in the Australian Community: Part I-Victims', Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, no. 76, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra.
- Makkai, T 1998, 'Alcohol and Disorder in the Australian Community: Part II-Perpetrators', Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, no. 77, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra.
- Makkai, T 1999, 'Drugs and property crime', in Australian Illicit Drug Report, 1997-98, ABCI, Canberra.
- Makkai, T & McAllister, I 1997, Marijuana in Australia: Patterns and Attitudes, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.
- Makkai, T & McAllister, I 1998, Patterns of Drug Use in Australia, 1985-95, Department of Health and Family Services, Canberra.
- SCRCSSP (Steering Committee for the Review of Commonwealth/State Service Provision) 1999, Report on Government Services 1999, AusInfo, Canberra.
- Williams, P 1999, Drug Use in Australia and its Health Impact, AIHW, Canberra.