Back to
Mr David Dixon

Mr David Dixon

Professor

BA Camb (Law), BPhil Hull (Criminology), PhD Cardiff, Wales (Sociology)

Law & Justice
School of Law, Society & Criminology

David Dixon  is a professor at UNSW Law. He was Dean for ten years to mid-2016   

The common theme running through David Dixon’s policing research is how regulation (legal and otherwise) affects policing practice. He has an international reputation for research in discrete but related fields: gambling regulation; drug law enforcement; comparative policing strategies and developments in criminal justice; legal regulation of policing; police reform; and police interrogation.  He is currently researching comparative developments in police interrogation.

David Dixon has conducted research on policing in England, Australia and the US and is committed to empirical fieldwork and comparative, historical and interdisciplinary perspectives. His research on police interrogation is the only study based on a large random sample of interrogations in a jurisdiction routinely using audio-visually recording.

HIs current research continues to focus on interrogation, but also outside criminal justice on post-colonial legacies and on legal education. 

His books include:

  • From Prohibition to Regulation: Bookmaking, Anti-Gambling and the Law (Oxford University Press); 
  • Law in Policing: Legal Regulation and Police Practices (Oxford University Press);  
  • A Culture of Corruption: Changing an Australian Police Service (Hawkins Press); and
  • Interrogating Images: Audio-visually Recorded Police Questioning of Suspects (Sydney Institute of Criminology).

A full list of publications can be found on the Faculty webpage .

He has acted as research consultant and adviser to the Home Office (England & Wales), the Criminal Justice Commission (Queensland), the NSW Police, and the Royal Commission into the NSW Police Service. He was co-editor of Criminal Justice: An International Journal of Policy and Practice, and editor of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology.

Areas of expertise
Interrogation, Policing, Criminal justice, Illegal markets, Regulation
Mobile
0415 321 151*
Phone
+61415321151
E-mail
d.dixon@unsw.edu.au
Location
Room 324 The Law Building University of New South Wales UNSW Kensington Campus Sydney NSW 2052 Australia (Access via Gate 2 off High St)
  • Books | 2007
    Dixon D, 2007, Interrogating Images: audio-visually recorded police questioning of suspects, Sydney Institute of Criminology, Sydney
    Books | 1999
    1999, A Culture of Corruption: Changing an Australian Police Service, Dixon D, (ed.), Hawkins Press, Sydney, NSW
    Books | 1998
    Dixon D, 1998, Running the risks: Heroin, health and harm in South West Sydney, National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre, Randwick, NSW
    Books | 1998
    Maher L; Dixon D; Lynskey M; Hall W, 1998, Running the risks: Heroin, health and harm in South West Sydney, National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre, Randwick, NSW
    Books | 1997
    Dixon D, 1997, Law in Policing: Legal Regulation and Police Practices, Clarendon Press, Oxford, UK
    Books | 1997
    Maher L; Dixon D; Swift W; Nguyen T, 1997, Anh Hai: Young Asian Background People`s Perception and Experiences of Policing, UNSW Faculty of Law Research Monograph Series, Sydney
  • Book Chapters | 2019
    Dixon D, 2019, 'Interrogation Law and Practice in Common Law Jurisdictions', in Brown D; Turner JI; Weisser B (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Criminal Process, Oxford University Press, USA, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190659837.013.19
    Book Chapters | 2016
    Dixon D, 2016, 'Integrity, interrogation and criminal injustice', in The Integrity of Criminal Process From Theory into Practice, Hart Publishing, Oxford and Portland, pp. 75 - 95
    Book Chapters | 2016
    Hunter JB; Dixon D; Roberts P; Young SMN, 2016, 'Introduction: Re-examining Criminal Process Through the Lens of Integrity', in Hunter J; Roberts P; Dixon D; Young SMN (ed.), The Integrity of Criminal Process From Theory into Practice, Bloomsbury Publishing, Oxford, pp. 1 - 34
    Book Chapters | 2016
    Stubbs J, 2016, 'Searching for Integrity in Domestic Violence Policing', in Hunter J; Roberts P; Young S; Dixon D (ed.), The Integrity of Criminal Process From Theory into Practice, Bloomsbury Publishing, pp. 53 - 74
    Book Chapters | 2011
    Dixon D, 2011, 'Light and shadow: Comparative fieldwork in policing', in Bartels L; Richards K (ed.), Qualitative criminology: stories from the field, Federation Press, Australia, pp. 230 - 241, http://www.federationpress.com.au/bookstore/book.asp?isbn=9781876067243
    Book Chapters | 2009
    Dixon D, 2009, 'From criminal justice to control process: interrogation in a changing context', in Bull R; Valentine T; Williamson T (ed.), Handbook of Psychology of Investigative Interviewing: current developments and future directions, Wiley-Blackwell, Malden, MA. USA, pp. 91 - 108
    Book Chapters | 2008
    Dixon D, 2008, 'Authorise and Regulate: A Comparative Perspective on the Rise and Fall of a Regulatory Strategy', in Cape E; Young R (ed.), Regulating Policing: The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 Past, Present and Future, Hart Publishing, Oxford and Portland, Oregon, pp. 21 - 44
    Book Chapters | 2007
    Dixon D, 2007, 'Changing law, changing policing', in Mitchell M; Casey J (ed.), Police Leadership and Management, Federation Press, Leichhardt, NSW, pp. 23 - 36
    Book Chapters | 2006
    Dixon D, 2006, 'Regulating Police Interrogation', in Investigative Interviewing, Willan Publishing, Cullumpton, UK, pp. 318 - 351
    Book Chapters | 2005
    Dixon D, 2005, 'Beyond Zero Tolerance', in Newburn T (ed.), Policing, Willan Publishing, Cullompton, UK, pp. 483 - 507
    Book Chapters | 2005
    Dixon D, 2005, 'The Legal Regulation of Policing', in Newburn T (ed.), Policing, Willan Publishing, Cullompton, UK, pp. 637 - 669
    Book Chapters | 2004
    Dixon D; Maher L, 2004, 'Containment, quality of life and crime reduction: policy transfers in the policing of a street heroin market', in Newburn T; Sparks R (ed.), Criminal Justice and Political Cultures, Willan Publishing, Cullompton, UK, pp. 234 - 266
    Book Chapters | 2004
    Dixon D, 2004, 'Police governance and official inquiry', in Gilligan G; Pratt J (ed.), Crime, Truth and Justice, William Publishing, Devon, UK, pp. 115 - 137
    Book Chapters | 2002
    Maher L; Dixon D, 2002, 'Policing and public health: law enforcement and harm minimization in a street-level drug market', in Stephanie Taylor (ed.), Ethnographic Research: A Reader, Sage Publications, London, UK, pp. 36 - 64
    Book Chapters | 2001
    Dixon D; Travis G, 2001, 'The audio-visual recording of police interrogation in New South Wales', in Criminal Laws, Federation Press, Sydney, pp. 228 - 231
    Book Chapters | 2001
    Dixon D, 2001, 'Policing & public health: law enforcement & harm minimization in a street-level drug market', in Stephanie Taylor (ed.), Ethnographic Research: A Reader, Sage Publications, London, UK, pp. 36 - 64
    Book Chapters | 1999
    Dixon D; Maher L, 1999, 'Walls of Silence', in Hage G; Couch R (ed.), The Future of Australian Multiculturalism, Research Institute for Humanities and Social Science, Sydney, NSW, pp. 89 - 101
    Book Chapters | 1999
    Dixon D, 1999, 'Corruption and Reform', in A Culture of Corruption: Changing an Australian Police Service, Hawkins Press, Sydney, NSW, pp. 1 - 5
    Book Chapters | 1999
    Dixon D, 1999, 'Issues in the Legal Regulation of Policing', in A Culture of Corruption: Changing an Australian Police Service, Hawkins Press, Sydney, NSW, pp. 36 - 68
    Book Chapters | 1999
    Dixon D, 1999, 'Police Investigative Procedures: Changing legal nd political contexts of policing practices', in Miscarriages of Justice, Blackstones, London, UK, pp. 65 - 82
    Book Chapters | 1999
    Dixon D, 1999, 'Reform, Regression and the Royal Commission into the NSW Police Service', in A Culture of Corruption: Changing an Australian Police Service, Hawkins Press, Sydney, NSW, pp. 138 - 179
    Book Chapters | 1999
    Dixon D, 1999, 'The Normative Structure of Policing', in A Culture of Corruption: Changing an Australian Police Service, Hawkins Press, Sydney, NSW, pp. 69 - 97
    Book Chapters | 1996
    Dixon D, 1996, 'The control of illegal bookmaking in England and Australia', in Gambling cultures: studies in history and interpretation, Routledge Press, London, pp. 86 - 100
    Book Chapters | 1995
    Dixon D, 1995, 'New left pessimism', in Contemporary issues in criminology, University of Wales Press, Cardiff, pp. 216 - 223
    Book Chapters | 1995
    Dixon D, 1995, 'Revising `police powers`: legal theories and policing practices in historical and contemporary contexts', in Contemporary issues in criminology, University of Wales Press, Cardiff, pp. 128 - 174
  • Journal articles | 2016
    Maher L; Dixon D, 2016, 'Cheaper drugs as crime control? Rethinking the drugs/crime nexus', Dialectical Anthropology, 40, pp. 343 - 348, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10624-016-9419-4
    Journal articles | 2014
    Dixon D; Cowdery N, 2014, 'Silence Rights', Australian Indigenous Law Review, 17, pp. 23 - 37
    Journal articles | 2013
    Dixon D, 2013, 'Policing, Popular Culture and Political Economy: Towards a Social Democratic Criminology', CRIMINOLOGY & CRIMINAL JUSTICE, 13, pp. 630 - 633, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1748895813502273
    Journal articles | 2012
    Dixon D, 2012, 'Police Custody: Governance, Legitimacy and Reform in the Criminal Justice Process', AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGY, 45, pp. 279 - 281, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0004865812443769
    Journal articles | 2010
    Dixon D, 2010, 'Questioning suspects: a comparative perspective', Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 26, pp. 426 - 440, http://ccj.sagepub.com/content/26/4/426.abstract
    Journal articles | 2007
    Chan JB; Dixon D, 2007, 'The Politics of Police Reform: Ten years after the Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service', Criminology & Criminal Justice, 7 (4), pp. 443 - 468
    Journal articles | 2007
    Maher L; Li J; Jalaludin B; Wand H; Jayasuriya R; Dixon D; Kaldor J, 2007, 'Impact of a reduction in heroin availability on patterns of drug use, risk behaviour and incidence of hepatitis C virus infection in injecting drug users in New South Wales, Australia', Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 89, pp. 244 - 250, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2007.01.001
    Journal articles | 2006
    Dixon D, 2006, 'A Window into the Interviewing Process? Audiovisual Recording of Police Interrogation', Policing and Society, 16, pp. 323 - 348
    Journal articles | 2005
    Dixon D; Maher L, 2005, 'Policing, crime and public health: lessons for Australia from the `New York miracle`', Criminology & Criminal Justice, 5, pp. 115 - 143
    Journal articles | 2005
    Dixon D, 2005, 'Why don`t the police stop crime?', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 38, pp. 4 - 24
    Journal articles | 2004
    Dixon D, 2004, 'Handbook of policing', British Journal of Criminology, 44, pp. 614 - 619
    Journal articles | 2003
    Dixon D, 2003, 'From service to force? Policing New South Wales: a review essay', Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 15, pp. 193 - 199
    Journal articles | 2003
    Dixon D, 2003, 'Police reform: Building integrity', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 36, pp. 379 - 381
    Journal articles | 2003
    Dixon D, 2003, 'Review of `Police Reform: Building Integrity`, by Tim Prenzler and Janet Ransley', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 3, pp. 379 - 381
    Journal articles | 2002
    Dixon D; Maher L, 2002, 'Anh Hai: Policing, culture and social exclusion in a street heroin market', Policing and Society, 12, pp. 93 - 110
    Journal articles | 2002
    Dixon D; Schimmel JK, 2002, 'What`s wrong with the Law Enforcement Bill?', Law Society Journal, 40, pp. 58 - 61
    Journal articles | 2002
    Maher L; Dixon D; Hall W; Lynskey M, 2002, 'Property crime and income generation by heroin users', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 35, pp. 187 - 202
    Journal articles | 2001
    Dixon D, 2001, 'A transformed organization? The NSW Police Service since the Royal Commission', Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 13, pp. 203 - 218
    Journal articles | 2001
    Maher L; Dixon D, 2001, 'The cost of crackdowns: Policing Cabramatta`s heroin market', Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 13, pp. 5 - 22
    Journal articles | 2000
    Dixon D, 2000, 'Book review: Violence and police culture by Tony Coady, Steve James, Seumas Miller and Michael O`Keefe (eds)', Australian Journal of Social Issues, pp. 371 - 374
    Journal articles | 1999
    Dixon D; Coffin P, 1999, 'Zero tolerance policing of illegal drug markets', Drug and Alcohol Review, 18, pp. 477 - 486
    Journal articles | 1999
    Dixon D; Maher L, 1999, 'Policing and public health :Law enforcement and harm minimization in a street level drug market', British Journal of Criminology, 39, pp. 488 - 512
    Journal articles | 1998
    Dixon D, 1998, 'Broken windows, zero tolerance and the new York miracle', Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 10, pp. 96 - 106
    Journal articles | 1997
    Dixon D, 1997, 'Ethics, Law and Criminological Research', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, pp. 211 - 216
    Journal articles | 1997
    Dixon D, 1997, 'What`s Wrong with the Detention After Arrest Bill?', Law Society Journal, pp. 58 - 59
    Journal articles | 1996
    Dixon D, 1996, 'History in Criminology', Current Issues in Criminal Justice, pp. 77 - 81
    Journal articles | 1996
    Dixon D, 1996, 'Reform of policing by legal regulation: international experience in criminal investigation', Current Issues in Criminal Justice, pp. 287 - 301
    Journal articles | 1995
    Dixon D, 1995, 'Change in policing, changing police', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, pp. 62 - 66
    Journal articles | 1991
    Bottomley K; Coleman C; Dixon D; Gill M; Wall D, 1991, 'The detention of suspects in police custody: The impact of the police and criminal evidence act 1984', British Journal of Criminology, 31, pp. 347 - 364, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.bjc.a048134
  • Conference Papers | 2017
    Dixon D, 2017, 'The poverty of pessimism', in BenGolder ; Nehme M; Steel A; Vines P (eds.), IMPERATIVES FOR LEGAL EDUCATION RESEARCH: THEN, NOW AND TOMORROW, ROUTLEDGE, Sydney, AUSTRALIA, pp. 49 - 73, presented at UNSW Conference on Research in Legal Education - State of the Art?, Sydney, AUSTRALIA, 03 December 2017 - 05 December 2017, http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780429426070
    Conference Papers | 2004
    Dixon D, 2004, '`A Window into the Interviewing Process?` The Audio-visual recording of police interviews with suspects in New South Wales, Australia', in International Conference on Police Interviewing, Ecole Nationale de Police du Quebec, presented at International Conference on Police Interviewing, Ecole Nationale de Police du Quebec, 09 February 2004 - 11 February 2004
    Conference Papers | 2002
    Dixon D; Maher L, 2002, 'Beyond Zero Tolerance', in British Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Keele, UK, presented at British Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Keele, UK
    Conference Papers | 2002
    Dixon D, 2002, 'From zero tolerance to the new policing', in Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology Conference, Brisbane, Qld, presented at Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology Annual Conference 2009, Brisbane, Qld, 01 October 2002
    Conference Papers | 2002
    Dixon D, 2002, 'Police Interrogation Paper', in British Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Keele, UK, presented at British Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Keele, UK