ACEA and USQ Webinar – Desistance Signalling with Dr Suzanne Reich 1.00pm – 2.00pm (AEST), Thursday August 26

The third  webinar in this series will feature Dr Suzanne Reich. This presentation provides the audience with a strategy to help convicted individuals design effective ways to signal their desistance to others.

Having a criminal conviction can present challenges for the convicted individual who is motivated to reintegrate into the community and leave his or her offending past behind.

A criminal record is a disqualification of sorts that is often interpreted by others, especially employers, as an indication of risk. However, for many, a criminal record is no more than an historical account of what the individual has done in the past and not an accurate reflection of who they are today.  Accordingly, it is crucial for convicted individuals to be able to demonstrate their desistance from crime in ways that are both recognisable and valuable to those who are important for reintegration success, such as employers.

Dr Suzanne Reich Program Director and Senior Lecturer Criminology and Criminal Justice University of Southern Queensland

Dr Suzanne Reich is the Program Director for studies in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Southern Queensland. She is also a Senior Lecturer in criminology and criminal justice and is based in the School of Law and Justice. She completed her Bachelor of Arts, Honours (First Class) and Ph.D. in Criminology at the University of Queensland. Suzanne’s substantive area of research concerns the reintegration of those with a criminal record back into society and their associated desistance from crime. In her Ph.D. thesis she examined whether and why employers will hire job applicants who have a criminal record with a particular emphasis on the beliefs employer’s hold about the capacity for ex-offenders to change and desist from crime, and how desistance from crime is recognised by employers. Suzanne’s previous employment includes working with at-risk young people in the community as well as in detention. Later on, she worked in the Offending Behaviour Programs sector within the adult prison system in both Australia and England, working specifically with people who had committed serious and violent offences.