A SURVEY OF TRAINING IN PSYCHOLOGY APPLIED TO JUSTICE SYSTEMS IN AUSTRALASIA

A questionnaire concerning training in psychology applied to justice s ystems was sent to 29 tertiary educational institutions in Australia a nd New Zealand. Fifteen respondents reported relevant courses and 9 re ported relevant placement opportunities. At undergraduate and honours level, (a) 3 institutions taught courses covering the range of justice psychology, (b) one presented several aspects of justice psychology, and (c) 3 universities taught aspects of experimental psychology relev ant to forensic work, for example, eyewitness testimony. At masters le vel, 13 institutions provided courses containing elements of justice p sychology. Comparison with Britain and North America suggests that Aus tralasian courses offer a similar range of training opportunities. It is unclear if existing training provisions meet present or likely futu re demands and more detailed inquiry is necessary to address these que stions.