The Western Australian Office of Crime Statistics and Research (WACSAR) is responsible for administering an annual grant program to support research that makes a practical contribution to improving the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in Western Australia.
In December 2021, the WACSAR Criminal Justice Research Grant (the Grant) was launched. The Grant program is a competitive, application-based program that awards up to a total of $300,000 annually to researchers from Western Australian Universities and research institutions. The Research Grant Program seeks to fund quality research projects that directly benefit the Western Australian criminal justice system and associated areas with the potential to lead to practical improvements in the criminal justice system.
Three tiers of funding are available:
- Top-Up Grants: Available to prospective and enrolled honours and higher degree by research students enrolled in Western Australian Universities to assist with research costs.
- Collaborative Research Grants: Available to WA universities and research institutions working together, or with, not-for-profits and/or government agencies.
- Targeted Calls for Research: One-off requests for applicants to complete a specific research project
The 2024-2025 round has now closed.
Previous research funded by the WACSAR Criminal Justice Research Grant include:
| Organisation | Researchers | Grant type | Project title |
| Curtin University | Dr Jocelyn Jones | Round Two | An Evaluation of the Dandjoo Bidi-Ak Therapeutic Pilot Court |
| University of Western Australia | Associate Professor Hilde Tubex | Round Two | Mind the gap: A study on the Reintegration Needs of Returning Prisoners |
| Murdoch University | Ms Emma Tufuga | Round Two | Exploring the experiences of Aboriginal women accessing post release supports in Perth Metropolitan area |
| The University of Western Australia Edith Cowan University | Associate Professor Joe Clare Dr Natalie Gately | Round One | What offenders do with “the stuff they steal”: Comparing offender explanations of stolen goods disposal from 2005 to 2022. |
| Curtin University | Professor Michael Dockery | Round One | Evaluating literacy and numeracy progressions in custody and desistance from crime. |
| The University of Western Australia | Professor Pat Dudgeon Dr EE Pin Chang Dr Jemma Collova | Round One | Reducing Over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in the Justice System Through Enhancing Social and Emotional Wellbeing |
| Edith Cowan University | Mr James Finney | Round One | Dropouts and Refusers: Why young sex offenders do not engage with treatment. |
| Notre Dame University | Ms Gillian Kennedy | Round One | Evaluating impacts of Aboriginal on-country education for the WA Judiciary. |
| Edith Cowan University | Dr Suz Rock | Round One | Kids, Courts and Canines: An evaluation of the justice facility dog pilot program in Perth’s Children’s Court. |
| The University of Western Australia Edith Cowan University | Associate Professor Hilde Tubex Dr Natalie Gately | Round One | Women in Prison Survey |
