The over-representation of vulnerable populations within the criminal justice system, and the role of police in perpetuating this, has long been a topic of discussion in criminology. What is less discussed is the way in which non-criminal investigations by police, in areas like a death investigation, may similarly disadvantage and discriminate against vulnerable populations. In Australia, as elsewhere, it is police who are responsible for investigating both suspicious and violent deaths like homicide as well as non-suspicious, violent deaths like accidents and suicides. Police are also the agents tasked with investigating deaths which are neither violent nor suspicious but occur outside hospitals and other care facilities. This paper, part of a larger funded Australian research project focusing on the ways in which cultural and religious differences are dealt with during the death investigation process, reports on how police describe -or are described by others -during their role in a non-suspicious death investigation, and the challenges that such investigations raise for police and policing. The employment of police liaison officers is discussed as one response to the difficulty of policing cultural and religious difference with variable results.
In common law countries like England, Australia, the USA and Canada, certain deaths come to be investigated through the coronial system. These include sudden, unnatural or suspicious deaths as well as those which appear to be the result of naturally occurring disease but the precise cause is unknown. When a reportable death occurs in Australia, a number of professional groups become involved in its investigation -police, coroners, pathologists and counsellors. While research has demonstrated the importance of training and education for staff in the context of criminal investigations -with its over-representation of vulnerable and marginalised populations -this is less likely to occur in the context of death investigations, despite such investigations also involving the over-representation of vulnerable populations. This paper, part of larger funded research on the decision-making of coronial professionals in the context of cultural and religious difference, explores the ways in which cultural and religious minority groups -in this case Islam, Judaism and Indigeneity -become differently positioned during the death investigation based upon how they are perceived as 'other'. Our research raises three issues. First, positioning as 'the other' is dependent on the professional training of the staff member, with police and pathologists far more likely than coroners to be suspicious or ignorant of difference. Second, specific historical and contemporary events effect the Othering of religious and cultural difference. Third, the grieving practices associated with religious and cultural difference can be collectively Othered through their perceived opposition to modernity.
This article explores the current evaluation education program opportunities in the Australian higher education market and identifies potential research areas to inform pathways for future investment. Findings from our initial scoping phase are provided as a prelude to future work required in this space. The overarching research question investigates whether there is an opportunity to deliver further evaluation education programs in Australian higher education. Emerging from this question are three objectives: (a) to determine the current landscape of Australian university evaluation education program offerings; (b) to gain an understanding of the evaluation education discourse articulated within six selected evaluation journals and (c) to consider whether evaluation is a viable and meaningful discipline within higher education programs. An action research approach was adopted commencing with a benchmarking activity of Australian university offerings, followed by a bibliometric analysis of six evaluation journals, and concluding with a rapid scan of the literature. The selected methodologies reveal a potential gap in the higher education market, with the literature identifying inconsistent and mismatched programs while emphasising the need to invest in evaluation education. This article seeks to stimulate debate about formal higher education qualifications in evaluation and highlights the importance of potential future curriculum structure that can offer evaluators value, utility and growth.
Our third issue for 2019 coincides with the AES International Evaluation Conference with the theme of Evaluation un-boxed and promises rich intellectual sustenance, ideas, challenges and opportunities to 'create connections' and 'shape the ever-evolving role of evaluation and evaluators'. This year's sub themes profile areas include: what works (What's in, and beyond, the box?), who (Who should hold the box), and how (How do we stack up?). A plethora of exciting sessions and workshops will be providing the specific contexts, the nitty gritty of when and where, and the invaluable lessons learned. We cannot wait as AES evaluation conferences have a proven track record of being highly effective in providing a networking environ where future collaborations and the sharing of good practice can flourish. Evaluators are articulate, creative and effective communicators who thrive in this space. However, writing about good practice can be quite daunting so to all our evaluation practitioners out there we extend a challenge-get writing! Another strategy for developing and building discussion around good practice is to build your voice via social media and publishing in the EJA. A session on strategies and tools for lifting the profile of evaluation (and evaluator/s) features in the conference program. This session will explore what evaluators can do to elevate the discipline of evaluation. In a nutshell, ways to un-box evaluation by strategically engaging with social media, blogging and the Evaluation Journal of Australasia. In this session, the editors of the EJA join the AES blog and tweet gurus to share their tips on identifying a subject, structuring journal articles and blogs, and repurposing content of one type into another. Thereby finding and amplifying your voice. This session encourages established authors to provide ongoing support to emerging authors. Participants in previous EJA conference sessions have since published journal articles and book reviews. This issue demonstrates the power of writing collaboratively. Using a Critical Realist Review lens, Suzanne Hodgkin et al review a sample of reported interventions that are based on the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment tool. Statistics indicate a changing world demographic, with ageing now a growing global phenomenon. In 'Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment programs: possibilities, realities and outcomes, the authors map insights of their findings that have the potential to 878910E VJ0010.
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