Centre for Crime Policy and Research

This project is being undertaken by researchers at the Centre for Crime Policy and Research (CCPR), Flinders University. The CCPR is a dedicated multidisciplinary team of researchers at the forefront of investigating many different areas of criminal activity. It has developed a special competence in conducting research that engages with current and emerging crime challenges related to serious and organised crime, including gun crime, cybercrime, corruption, terrorism and illicit drugs. The team also produces world-leading research into crime policies – including what policies exist, how they operate in practice and assessing their efficacy for reducing harm. Throughout all our research the CCPR is committed to research translation to expand public knowledge and contribute to more effective policy responses.

Centre for Crime Policy and Research

Staff

Image Caitlin Hughes

Lead Chief Investigator
Associate Professor Caitlin Hughes

Caitlin Hughes is an associate professor in criminology and drug policy and Matthew Flinders Fellow at the CCPR. She is also a Visiting Fellow at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW and Vice-President of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy. Caitlin has spent 17 years researching drug related issues, including 12.5 years at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW. Her research focuses on drug laws and drug law reform, the efficacy of different criminal justice responses and drug markets, including trends in illicit drug supply and use and the structure and operation of Australian and transnational drug trafficking networks.

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David Bright

Chief Investigator
Associate Professor David Bright

David Bright is a Criminologist and Forensic Psychologist and Deputy Director of the CCPR. He has worked in a range of clinical and forensic settings including community mental health services, police agencies, courts, and prisons. His research interests include criminal networks, organised crime, drugs and crime, and offender rehabilitation. He is one of three investigators undertaking an Australian Research Council Discovery Project looking at understanding and preventing gun violence.

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Photo R.V. Gundur

Chief Investigator
Dr R.V. Gundur

R.V. Gundur is a Criminologist and Lecturer in the CCPR. He completed his PhD in 2017 into “Organizing crime in the margins: The businesses, organizations, and people of the American drug trade” which involved field research in El Paso/ Juárez, Phoenix, and Chicago and interviews with 129 respondents including people who traffic drugs. His research interests include illicit enterprise/ illicit markets, street and prison gangs, cybercrime, social control and immigration.

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Research Assistant
Dr Sharyn Goudie

Dr Sharyn Goudie is a Research Associate at the CCPR. She has a PhD in Sociology, Criminology and Gender Studies and a Masters’ in Public Administration. Sharyn is focused on the intersection of social policy and vulnerable parties. More recently, she has worked on a pilot project with Caitlin Hughes and others looking into regional methamphetamine markets.

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© The impacts of COVID-19 on illicit drug trafficking and supply in Australia