Each year, the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology (ANZSOC) recognises outstanding contributions to crime prevention through the Adam Sutton Crime Prevention Award, celebrating research that demonstrates clear policy relevance, practical impact, and a commitment to reducing harm.
At the 2025 ANZSOC Conference, we celebrated the achievements of Dr Siobhan Lawler, recipient of the Adam Sutton Crime Prevention Award.
Dr Lawler is a Principal Research Analyst at the Australian Institute of Criminology, where she leads a nationally significant program of research on elder abuse perpetration. Her broader research spans violence prevention, justice policy, sentencing, and restorative justice, with a strong focus on evidence-informed responses to complex forms of interpersonal harm.
The award recognises Dr Lawler’s collaborative evaluation of restorative justice responses to domestic and family violence and sexual violence. Drawing on the voices of victim-survivors, offenders, practitioners, and justice system stakeholders, this work provides critical, practice-oriented evidence on how restorative justice can be delivered safely, effectively, and ethically in high-risk contexts.
We caught up with Dr Lawler to reflect on what the award means to her, the contribution recognised, and the impact she hopes this work will have on policy and practice in Australia and beyond.
What does receiving this ANZSOC award mean to you?
It is an honour to receive the Adam Sutton Crime Prevention Award and have the research valued in this way, particularly as it recognises the importance of (and increasing attention towards) prioritising victim-survivor experiences in justice responses. The award also reflects the significant expertise of all stakeholders who contributed and the collective effort of the research team – Hayley Boxall, Christopher Dowling and myself. I’m proud of what we achieved together.
Could you briefly describe the work or contribution recognised by this award?
The evaluation offers key evidence to inform the use of restorative justice (RJ) in response to domestic and family violence (DFV) and sexual violence (SV) matters. Drawing on primary data collected from victims-survivors, offenders, practitioners and justice system representatives, the evaluation provides detailed process-related insights regarding the risk management procedures and safeguards necessary to implement RJ effectively in DFV and SV matters. The findings outline how RJ can deliver meaningful justice outcomes for participants in cases of complex interpersonal harm, and can support crime prevention by enabling accountability and reducing reoffending among some offenders. The work contributes evidence on how RJ processes can be delivered safely and effectively in high-risk contexts, and where formal justice pathways may not meet victims’ justice needs.
What impact do you hope your work will have on communities, policy, or the field?
The ACT RJU is a global leader in evidence-based restorative practice, and the findings reflect the expertise of practitioners and the suitability of the model underpinning their work. It is our hope that this research documenting their processes and outcomes can provide practice-oriented evidence to inform future frameworks for jurisdictions seeking to establish or develop RJ as a response to DFV and SV, in Australia and internationally.
