Graduate Profiles

Where does Criminology take you? Find out what some of our graduates are up to!

Mayumi Purvis - PhD
I came to the University of Melbourne intending to study psychology and criminology, and I did just that. Though I anticipated a career in psychology, I found that my interest in criminal behaviour was satisfied more readily by my criminological studies. At the completion of my degree I took a job working for the Victorian Department of Justice as a Community Corrections Officer. During this time I supervised many high-risk offenders who were either on Parole or serving their entire sentence in the community. Also at this time I supervised several sexual offenders and became especially interested in this type of offending. So in an effort to learn more about this particularly harmful behaviour, I returned to university and completed my Honours in criminology and am now halfway through my PhD.

Since writing this, Mayumi Purvis has completed her PhD and is now a manager with the Victorian Department of Justice

Brendan Condon - Criminology Honours
After working in the construction industry and as a professional revegetation contractor, Brendan established diversionary programmes working with “legally challenged” young people on parole and community based orders. He is now Managing Director of Australian Ecosystems, an environmental restoration and ecological consultancy company which he established in 1997 and which now employs 80 staff.

“I was unsure of what to focus on at University, and Criminology sounded interesting and proved to be a great choice.  Criminology allowed me to deepen my understanding of the society in which we live, and to explore a broad spectrum of political, social and economic theory, as well as to build a broad skill set that I have found applicable and transferable in business and employment. Research and analytical skills, written and oral expression and collaborative problem solving were developed in Criminology and have proven useful in my subsequent business life.”

Brendan’s activist and philanthropic history includes reconstruction work in Bougainville after conflict, mapping illegal logging in Papua New Guinea, post-cyclone reconstruction in Vanuatu, a human rights and environmental speaking tour in Japan, and working with East Timor Asylum seekers in Australia. He completed an Honours degree in Criminology 1995.

Priya Singh - Honours in Criminology
The Melbourne University School of Criminology is highly regarded in Australia. As an undergraduate Arts student, I decided to study criminology as part of my majors.  Having enjoyed studying criminology in my BA, I decided to enrol for Honours and gain further experience and skills by completing a thesis.  While completing my Honours thesis, I researched and examined the issue of schoolyard bullying in Northern metropolitan primary schools in Victoria.  In addition, whilst completing a field placement as part of my honours course work, I undertook a research study at the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court with the Court Statistical Services Unit.

Both my thesis research and supervised field study challenged and inspired me.  The course instilled many qualities and skills in me, enabled me to refine my research and analytical skills, and further motivated me to pursue a career in the area of research.  Consequently, it opened the door to my current employment with a marketing firm where I am heavily involved in market and business research.  My course work allowed me to strengthen my research skills, particularly secondary research skills as it has provided me excellent opportunities to meet and liaise with clients whilst building my communication skills.

Thus, studying criminology (or any subject for that matter) need not necessarily lead to a career in that particular field, but rather it is the numerous skills picked up during the course of a degree that can be utilized to further any career.  The criminology department catered very well to my needs and I thank each and everyone I had the opportunity of working with during the course of my study for all their assistance and support. 

Kimberley Banfield - Honours in Criminology
I am employed as a Research Officer for the Centre for Youth Drug Studies (CYDS) at the Australian Drug Foundation (ADF). I am currently involved in a pilot project entitled 'Pubs and Clubs'. The project is primarily concerned with reducing the risk and/or likelihood of alcohol and drug-related harms occurring to people in licensed venues.

Through studying Criminology at Melbourne I became very interested in the Drugs and Alcohol field. This led to me completing my Honours year and getting a job through my student placement at the ADF. As a Researcher, the Criminology Department at Melbourne Uni prepared me for my job through teaching me valuable research skills and theories and the importance of gaining an understanding of your whole area of research and applying this to a community setting in a practical sense.

Through my job I have been attending conferences, the most recent being the 5th Drugs and Young People Conference in Sydney. At this conference I spoke on a youth panel, chaired a session about online strategies - websites for young people and presented my own research. Little things like oral presentations helped to prepare me and give me the confidence to speak in front of an audience, network and cold-call. The staff in the Crim department also assisted with the transition from uni to work during my Honours year with regular contact and support.

Anna Saw - Criminology Honours
I am currently employed full time as the Project Officer for the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council, a national crime prevention organisation that addresses the issue of vehicle theft across Australia.  I am overseeing a project that involves working with local governments across Australia, as well as managing and assisting with a number of other projects in different areas. 

Throughout my first three undergraduate years at the University of Melbourne I developed interests in a number of different areas of Criminology, and ultimately continued on to complete my honours year in 2005.  Throughout that year I was given a wide range of invaluable skills in developing and carrying out research projects, which have given me a strong knowledge base in designing, executing, and writing up criminological research.  The support from the department both throughout the year and after I had left the university was exceptional.

Through completing a three month field placement with the Department of Justice, the organisation of which was assisted by staff in the Criminology Department, I was able to develop my research skills further as well as make very useful contacts in the public service.  I have since done some short-term paid work with one government agency before commencing full-time work, and have been contacted by another regarding the continuation of the original project.  These contacts have been invaluable and extremely helpful. 

The University of Melbourne Criminology Department gave me the support as well as the skills I needed to make the transition into full-time work in Criminology related areas, which has been crucial to my current experiences and professional opportunities. 

Nicole Bluett-Boyd - Honours in Criminology
I am currently employed as the Project Officer at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service Co-operative Ltd. In this position I am required to perform a myriad of tasks, from organising and chairing community forums, to constructing submissions and reports and presenting at various conferences. At present my work is focused on developing an Indigenous Youth Diversion Pilot. The basis of this Pilot involves protocol negotiation between Indigenous Communities and local justice agencies, particularly Victoria Police, concerning the issues of cautioning and diversion for Indigenous youth. In addition to this, I work on panels and projects concerning such issues as Family Violence, Human Rights and Drug and Alcohol matters.     

Since commencing this position I have come to realise the extent to which my four years in the Department of Criminology at the University of Melbourne has prepared me for the demands of such an occupation. Particularly, I have found that skills such as audience-specific writing, qualitative and quantitative research, oral presentation and, perhaps most importantly, multi-tasking and planning, were polished significantly during my Honours year in the Department. Additionally, participation in the Internship provided me with challenging new experience and instilled a confidence which led directly to my current employment. I credit the vast array of topics, approaches and methodologies taught within the Department with preparing me for practical work in the justice field, and the supportive and encouraging staff for the confidence to meet the demands of professional employment.

Vittoria Formica - Honours in Criminology
Last year (2005) I completed Honours in Criminology. It was a great year and although it was a lot of work, the whole process was extremely rewarding. As I had completed a Dip Ed before undertaking honours I am currently a high school teacher. I teach year eight English, year nine Humanities and year ten English and Humanities.

Within year ten Humanities I am required to teach a unit on law and the legal system so I have found my background in criminology to be extremely useful. I have also been able to help instill in my students positive studying habits and a strong work ethic as well as specific research and referencing skills, all of which I developed during the Honours year.

Overall I found Honours to be one of the most rewarding of my five years at Melbourne University and I would encourage anybody to consider completing Honours in Criminology.

Marcus Chee - Honours in Criminology
The Criminology course has trained me to view the Criminal Justice System from a broader perspective, and it certainly enabled me to see crimes from a purely law-enforcement angle to include offenders- and victims-oriented perspectives as well. 

For my honours thesis, I decided to incorporate my training in psychology and explored the issue of the fear of crime against the elderly in view of the ageing population. I am now a manager at Singapore's Probation Services Branch under the Ministry of Community Development and Sports. My main job portfolio includes overseeing staff training, finance, and managing our resources and facilities. At the same time, I am also the gazetted Probation Officer to 5 juvenile offenders at this time. The knowledge gained through the criminology course, as well as the work-placement in the 4th year have really prepared me well. Much thanks to the staff of the Criminology Department!

Emma Keleher - Honours in Criminology
As an undergraduate student with interests in various humanities I picked up criminology purely because it sounded a little unusual compared to my other subjects of History, English and Politics. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be my favourite. Crime is a topic that people always find interesting, and criminology gave me the opportunity to indulge that fascination, over the years, to become my major. Through particular subjects and fieldwork placements, I developed a strong interest in the fields of crime prevention and policy in particular, and undertook my own research in this area for my Postgraduate Diploma thesis.

I gained work experience at the Victoria Police and The Age newspaper which strengthened my desire to pursue my career in the field of criminology. I now work as a Crime Analyst in the Ethical Standards Department of the Victoria Police. Amongst other things, the role requires me to undertake research into suspected police corruption and misconduct, and write profiles of individual members under investigation. I now get paid to think and talk about crime all day, every day and I really enjoy it.

Since Emma submitted this information, Emma has gained employment with the Scottish Police Force and lives in the United Kingdom

Christopher Canty - Master of Arts (Criminology)
Chris Canty studied his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Criminology and then went on to complete his Master of Arts (Criminology). Chris is now employed by the Department of Justice as part of a team analysing crime issues in Victoria and developing and implementing programs to reduce crime and improve perceptions of safety. "Through my studies and employment I've travelled around Victoria, to Sydney and Perth, interviewed a wide variety of people, analysed crime databases, presented findings to Assistant Commissioners, and clocked up three interesting jobs before turning 30.

See also:

• Criminology alumni