PROFILE
Associate Professor Hilde Tubex
Started at UWA: 2011
Experienced criminologist and researcher of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system
Being a criminologist is still the job of my dreams, it allows me to get to know different sides of the Australian society. It is sometimes challenging, as there are no simple solutions to complex problems as crime and punishment, but trying to understand, explain and do something about it is what gets me out of my bed in the morning!Associate Professor Hilde Tubex
Associate Professor Hilde Tubex is a researcher of criminology and holds a research-intensive position at the UWA Law School. Her areas of expertise include comparative criminology and penal policy, Indigenous peoples and the criminal justice system.
Her current research focuses on the ‘throughcare’ needs of Indigenous people leaving prison in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and suggests a thorough exit plan from prison is essential and must acknowledge the context of Indigenous people’s involvement in the criminal justice system and the ongoing consequences of colonisation.
Statistically, Western Australia imprisons more people than any other Australian jurisdiction, except from the Northern Territory, and the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in our criminal justice system is a matter of deep concern to Associate Professor Tubex. She recently collaborated with researchers John Rynne and Harry Blagg to publish a report on ‘throughcare’ strategies and Indigenous prison populations in Australia. Drawing on her expertise for the criminal justice system and Indigenous peoples, Associate Professor Tubex also prepared a book chapter on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in Australian prisons with Kaniyang Yued Noongar woman, Dorinda Cox.
In late 2019, Associate Professor Tubex and her team hosted the well-attended Australian New Zealand Society of Criminology (ANZSOC) Conference. ANZSOC aims to promote study, teaching, collaboration and understanding in the field of criminology.
Associate Professor Tubex lived and studied in Belgium until she migrated to Australia in 2007. In Belgium, she worked as a researcher/lecturer at the Free University of Brussels, and as an adviser to the Belgian Minister of Justice and the Council of Europe. She later worked at the Department of Corrective Services in WA as Team Leader Research and Evaluation until she joined UWA.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor in Social Work, HIMW – Antwerp (1987)
- Bachelor of Criminology, Free University Brussels
- Master in Criminology, Free University Brussels (1991)
- PhD in Criminology, Free University Brussels (1999)
Australian Research Council Future Fellowship for investigating penal cultures in Australian jurisdictions (2011)
Australian Research Council Linkage Project grant for risk assessment of Aboriginal sex offenders in Australia (2014)
Criminology Research Council grant for building effective throughcare strategies for Indigenous offenders (2016)
News
Decrease in imprisonment
If you look at the statistics, the number of prisoners in Australia has been going up since 2013. But the trend slowed last year.
Read moreArticles on prisoner numbers
Crime rates are down, but they were decreasing while imprisonment rates were increasing, so that doesn't really explain lower numbers in our prisons.
Read moreMandatory sentencing leads to unjust, unfair outcomes – it doesn’t make us safe
Mandatory sentencing creates a problematic justice system. Here's why.
Read moreReducing imprisonment rates in Australia
Policymakers need to move on from the ‘tough on crime’ mantra and look for answers beyond a prison cell, writes Hilde Tubex.
Read moreProjects
Aboriginal & Non Aboriginal Sex Offenders in Australia – Assessing Risk for Practice & Policy
Releasing sex offenders from prison into the community is a significant issue in Australia. Where serious offenders represent an unacceptable risk to the community, preventative detention legislation commonly provides for indefinite imprisonment or community supervision. In determining a sex offender’s recidivism risk, courts and parole boards frequently supplement professional judgments with statistically based actuarial assessments. This project aims to reduce the risk of sexual recidivism through assessing the predictive validity of established and alternate risk assessments for Indigenous and non-Indigenous sex offenders. A key outcome will be the identification of culturally appropriate risk assessment tools for Indigenous sex offenders.Funding
- ARC Linkage Grant: Aboriginal and Non Aboriginal Sex Offenders in Australia – Assessing Risk for Practice & Policy (2015-2020). A collaboration with Frank Morgan, Caroline Spiranovic, Alfred Allan, Stephen Smallbone, Stephen Wong and Anna Ferrante.
- Criminology Research Grant: Building an Effective Community-Based Throughcare Approach for Aboriginal Offenders in Australia (2016-2017). A collaboration with John Rynne and Harry Blagg.
- Criminology Research Grant: Pocketing the Proceeds of Crime: The Legislation, Criminological Perspectives and Experiences (2017-2018). A collaboration with Natalie Skead, Sarah Murray and Tamara Tulich.
Teaching
Associate Professor Tubex draws on her personal experiences as a researcher in her teaching. She strives to deliver classes with interactive elements and writes her assessments in a creative way, incorporating online quizzes, presentations and assignments to develop a personal view. She currently teaches criminology units in the UWA majors Law and Society, and Criminology.
- LAWS2223 Criminal Justice Systems
- LAWS3374 Crime, Justice and Public Policy
- LAWS5223 Theories of Justice and Punishment
