Professor Meredith Rossner

PhD (Criminology and Sociology)
Criminology Program Leader, Centre for Social Research and Methods
ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences

Areas of expertise

  • Criminology 1602
  • Courts And Sentencing 160203
  • Criminological Theories 160204
  • Law And Society 180119
  • Legal Institutions (Incl. Courts And Justice Systems) 180120
  • Sociological Methodology And Research Methods 160807

Research interests

  • Restorative justice
  • Emotions and criminal justice
  • Online and virtual courts
  • Lay participation in justice
  • Juries and jury deliberation
  • Courts and tribunals
  • Architecture, technology, and justice
  • Sociology of punishment


 

Biography

Meredith Rossner is Deputy Director and Professor of Criminology at the Centre for Social Research & Methods at the ANU.   Previously she was Associate Professor of Criminology at the London School of Economics.  She holds a PhD in Criminology and Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania.  Her research focuses on emotions, rituals, the built environment, and technology in justice practices.   Past and current projects include investigations into the emotional dynamics of restorative justice, therapeutic courts, the dynamics of jury deliberation, the role of courtroom design on access to justice, and the use of video technology in courts.   

Researcher's projects

My current research project examines the increasing use of video technology in courts. Funded by the UK Ministry of Justice, I am evaluating the use of fully-video hearings, where all parties appear remotely.  The video hearings pilot is a world-first attempt to have a hearing with no physical courtroom.  I am also part of a project funded by the Canadian Social Sciences and Hummanities Research Council on the use of automation and other technologies in the justice sytem. Previously, I have conducted research funded by the Australian Research Council on courtroom architecture, technology, and access to justice and on interpreters in court. 

I have also conducted research funded by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice on the dynamics of Restorative Justice for adult offenders.  I have advised the UK and the NSW government on best practice in restorative justice. My book, Just Emotions: Rituals of Restorative Justice (OUP, 2013), is available through Oxford Scholarship Online, https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199655045.001.0001/acprof-9780199655045

I am a part of the Court of the Future Network, an international collaboration of academics, architects, technology experts, judges, and court administrators who research developments in court design, technology, security, and well-being.     

Partial list of publications at https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?hl=en&user=9GNkh84AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate

 

 

Current student projects

Reynol Cheng (panel) 'Restorative justice and youth justice in Taiwan.'

Bethany Muir (panel) 'Virtual Courts and Backgrounds: How Background Cues Shape Impressions and Decisions.'

Theodora Putri (panel) 'How do judges and the institutional design of the Indonesian court system respond to women in criminal justice proceedings.'

Hannah Roberston (chair) 'Risk and violence is technology-facilitated dating'

John Taggart (panel) 'Examining the role of the intermediary in the criminal justice system' (LSE)

Publications

Projects and Grants

Grants information is drawn from ARIES. To add or update Projects or Grants information please contact your College Research Office.

Return to top

Updated:  30 May 2023 / Responsible Officer:  Director (Research Services Division) / Page Contact:  Researchers