About the Authors

This eTextbook is the result of collaboration between academic and professional staff and students at the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith University. The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith University is the largest community of criminologists in Australia and is recognised as a leading department globally.

At Griffith, criminology is a multidisciplinary field of study, drawing on psychology, law, sociology, politics and human services. Our undergraduate degree is the only one in Queensland backed by ‘well above world standard’ research. That knowledge feeds into the most up-to-date study content, giving you the best skills for an employment edge.

As long term educators in university settings around the world, we know the difficulties of accessing meaningful and affordable texts that support students and academics alike. It is our hope that this eTextbook will be the first of many to help support students studying criminology and criminal justice in Australia and beyond. After all, we all know that learning is more interesting and more memorable when we can situate our experiences in a familiar context, something that contemporary introductory textbooks do not do for Australian students.

We hope that this eTextbook is just one of many that will lead the change to make university level materials more accessible to students, staff, and interested learners everywhere.

This edition was edited by Associate Professor Nadine M. Connell, Lucy Forrester (Hons), and Steph Friend. All questions and comments can be sent to the following email address: CCJ_IntroText@griffith.edu.au We take all your feedback seriously and are always looking for ways to improve the next edition!