• Developmental an Life-course criminology
• Homicide studies
• Drugs and crime
• Alcohol and violence
• Recidivism
• Drugs and other specialty courts
• Criminal justice evaluation
• Social research methods
• Quantitative criminology

Dr Payne is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the Australian National University (ANU). He holds a Bachelor in Social Science (Criminology), a Graduate Diploma in Languages (Japanese), a Master of Public Policy (Policy Analysis) and PhD in Criminology. Jason specialises in quantitative criminological methods, developmental and life-course criminology and drugs and crime. 

Since joining the ANU, Jason has developed and convened a number of teaching programs, including a successful executive training program - Data Analysis in Stata. He has been the successful recipient of a number of research grants and consultancies, including:

• Roettger. M. and Payne, J. (2015). Intergenerational trajectories of crime in the ACT: An exploratory data linkage study of Canberra’s highest volume offenders and their families. (College of Arts and Social Sciences - Internal Research Grants)

• Manning, M., Payne, J., Fleming, C., and Makkai, T. (2015). Determining the Cost of Alcohol to Law Enforcement (National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund (C1))

• Payne, J., Brown, R. and Broadhurst R. (2014). Exploring the causes and consequences of the Australian crime decline: a comparative analysis of the criminal trajectories of two NSW birth cohorts (Criminology Research Council (C1))

• Payne, J., and Willis, M. (2014). Piloting the incorporation of longitudinal data collection in the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program. (Criminology Research Council (C1))

• Payne, J., Keane, H., and Smith, GJD. (2015). Taking responsibility for academic integrity: a training module and Wattle platform for students and teachers. (College of Arts and Social Sciences Student Experience Grant). 

Prior to his appointment at the ANU, Dr Payne was the Research Manager of the Violent and Serious Crime Monitoring Program (VSCM) at the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC).  During his 12 years at the AIC, he was Principal or Co-investigator on a number of key research and consultancy projects, including:

• The quantitative estimation of drug-attributable crime – currently used by Victoria Police for estimating and responding to methamphetamine-related offending (Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No.439);

• A process and outcome evaluation of the Queensland Drug Court – used by the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney General to support the continuation of the Drug Court program in 2006 (AIC Research and Public Policy Series No.83, pp96);

• A recidivism analysis of the National Police Drug Diversion Initiative – supporting the continuation of the COAG-IDDI funding of police drug diversion schemes (AIC Research and Public Policy Series No.97, pp81);

• Qualitative data collection and analysis of issues impacting criminal trial delays in Australia – providing the first national snapshot of the costs and consequences of delays in the criminal trial system (AIC Research and Public Policy Series No.74, pp81);

• A literature review of national recidivism measures and methodologies – used to support the National Information Development Plan (NIDP) and guide research and data collection developments at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (AIC Research and Public Policy Series No.80, pp139); and

• A national data matching, collection and analytical procedure for the estimation of crimes against international students in Australia – underpinning the Australian Government response to reports of attacks against Indian students (AIC Special Report No.1, pp172).

A particular highlight of Jason's recent research program has been the coordination and oversight of an evaluation of Aboriginal drug and alcohol treatment programs funded under the National Indigenous Law and Justice Framework. This large, cross jurisdictional research program resulted in a number of key publications, including:

• Morgan A, Cussen T, Gannoni A & Payne J (2014). Evaluation of drug and alcohol programs for offenders or people at risk of offending in support of the National Indigenous Law and Justice Framework: Barkly Region Alcohol and Drug Abuse Advisory Group, Report to the Indigenous Affairs Group, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, February 2014

• Morgan A, Gannoni A, Cussen T & Payne J (2014). Evaluation of drug and alcohol programs for offenders or people at risk of offending in support of the National Indigenous Law and Justice Framework: Venndale Rehabilitation and Withdrawal Centre. Report to the Indigenous Affairs Group, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, March 2014

• Cussen T, Morgan A, Payne J, Griffiths A, Gannoni A & Sweeney J (2014). Evaluation of drug and alcohol programs for offenders or people at risk of offending in support of the National Indigenous Law and Justice Framework: Summary report. Report to the Indigenous Affairs Group, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, May 2014

• Cussen T, Morgan A, Sweeney J & Payne J. Evaluation of drug and alcohol programs for offenders or people at risk of offending in support of the National Indigenous Law and Justice Framework: Baroona Youth Healing Centre. Report to the Indigenous Affairs Group, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, February 2014

• Cussen T, Payne J & Morgan A (2014). Evaluation of drug and alcohol programs for offenders or people at risk of offending in support of the National Indigenous Law and Justice Framework: Warrakoo Rehabilitation Hostel. Report to the Indigenous Affairs Group, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, February 2014

• Griffiths A, Morgan A, Payne J & Cussen T (2014). Evaluation of drug and alcohol programs for offenders or people at risk of offending in support of the National Indigenous Law and Justice Framework: Namatjira Haven Limited Drug and Alcohol Healing Centre. Report to the Indigenous Affairs Group, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, April 2014

• Griffiths A, Payne J, Cussen T & Morgan A (2014). Evaluation of drug and alcohol programs for offenders or people at risk of offending in support of the National Indigenous Law and Justice Framework: Salvation Army Property Trust—Warrondi Engage and Link Program. Report to the Indigenous Affairs Group, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, February 2014