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Dr Vicki Sentas
Senior Lecturer

Dr Vicki Sentas

LLB/BA (JCU), PhD (Monash), Admitted to Supreme Court of NSW 

Law & Justice
School of Law, Society & Criminology

Dr Vicki Sentas joined the Faculty of Law in July 2012 and is a senior lecturer. Vicki researches processes of criminalisation and racialisation in law and policing.  She teaches in criminal law, criminology and policing and coordinates the Police Powers Clinic, an experiential learning course, in partnership with Redfern Legal Centre.

Her recent and current research projects examine: the effects of counter-terrorism practices on criminal justice and racialised peoples; the criminalisation of armed conflicts, self-determination and diasporas through the use of security lists; police powers and their relationship to diverse forms of regulation including pre-emption and prosecution; police accountability and criminal justice reform.
Phone
+61 (2) 9385 2752
E-mail
v.sentas@unsw.edu.au
  • Books | 2014
    Sentas V, 2014, Traces of Terror: Counter-Terrorism, Law, Policing and Race, OUP Oxford, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199674633.001.0001
  • Book Chapters | 2018
    2018, 'Beyond Media Discourse: Locating Race and Racism in Criminal Justice Systems', in Media, Crime and Racism, Springer International Publishing, pp. 359 - 379, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71776-0_18
    Book Chapters | 2018
    2018, 'Beyond Media Discourse: Locating Race and Racism in Criminal Justice Systems', in Bhatia M; Poynting S; Tufail W (ed.), Crime, Media, Racism, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 359 - 379, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71776-0
    Book Chapters | 2017
    Durbach A; Edgeworth B; Sentas V, 2017, 'Law and Poverty in Australia Today: A Reassessment', in Durbach A; Edgeworth B; Sentas V (ed.), Law and Poverty in Australia: 40 Years after the Poverty Commission, Federation Press, Sydney, pp. 1 - 11
    Book Chapters | 2017
    Sentas V, 2017, 'The Poverty of Criminal Law: Criminalisation and the Limits of Access to Justice', in Durbach A; Edgeworth B; Sentas V (ed.), Law and Poverty in Australia: 40 Years after the Poverty Commission. Editors: Durbach A, Edgeworth B, Sentas V . Federation Press, Sydney 2017, Federation Press, Sydney, pp. 249 - 264
    Book Chapters | 2017
    2017, 'Poverty and the Law in Australia Today', in Durbach A; Edgeworth B; Sentas V (ed.), Law and Poverty in Australia: 40 Years after the Poverty Commission, Federation Press, Sydney
    Book Chapters | 2012
    Nadarajah S; Sentas V, 2012, 'The politics of state crime and resistance: Self- determination in Sri Lanka', in Stanley E; McCulloch J (ed.), State Crime and Resistance, Routledge, USA, pp. 68 - 83, http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203101063
    Book Chapters | 2012
    Sentas V, 2012, 'One More Successful War? Tamil Diaspora and Counter-Terrorism after the LTTE', in Poynting S; Whyte D (ed.), Counter-Terrorism and State Political Violence, Routledge
  • Edited Books | 2017
    Durbach A; Edgeworth B; Sentas V, (eds.), 2017, Law and Poverty in Australia 40 Years After the Sackville Report
  • Journal articles | 2021
    2021, 'Policing biosecurity: police enforcement of special measures in New South Wales and Victoria during the COVID-19 pandemic', Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 33, pp. 76 - 88, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10345329.2020.1850144
    Journal articles | 2021
    2021, 'Strip searches, Police power and the infliction of harm: An analysis of the New South Wales strip search regime.', International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy. Advance online publication., http://dx.doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.1665
    Journal articles | 2018
    2018, 'Criminal law as police power: Serious crime, unsafe protest and risks to public safety', International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 7, pp. 75 - 90, http://dx.doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.v7i3.554
    Journal articles | 2018
    2018, 'Redfern Legal Centre: Challenging Everyday Police Powers', Court of Conscience, pp. 40 - 45
    Journal articles | 2018
    2018, 'Terrorist Organization Proscription as Counterinsurgency in the Kurdish Conflict', Terrorism and Political Violence, 30, pp. 298 - 317, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2018.1432215
    Journal articles | 2016
    Sentas V, 2016, 'Policing the Diaspora: Kurdish Londoners, MI5 and the Proscription of Terrorist Organizations in the United Kingdom', British Journal of Criminology, 56, pp. 898 - 918, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azv094
    Journal articles | 2016
    2016, 'Over policing Indigenous Youth: The Suspect Target Management Plan', Human Rights Defender, 5, pp. 16 - 16
    Journal articles | 2014
    Sentas V; McMahon R, 2014, 'Changes to Police Powers of Arrest in New South Wales', Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 25, pp. 785 - 801, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tsh&AN=95066470&site=ehost-live
    Journal articles | 2010
    Sentas V, 2010, 'Terrorist Organisation Offences and the LTTE: R v Vinayagamoorth', Current Issues in Criminal Justice, pp. 159 - 169
    Journal articles | 2010
    2010, 'The Violence of Terrorist Organisation Bans', Criminal Justice Matters, 82, pp. 16 - 17, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09627251.2010.525946
    Journal articles | 2009
    Sentas V; Whyte J, 2009, 'Law, Crisis, Revolution', Australian Feminist Law Journal, 31, pp. 3 - 14, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13200968.2009.10854424
    Journal articles | 2005
    2005, 'Terrorism', Alternative Law Journal, 30, pp. 283 - 285, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1037969x0503000606
  • Submissions to Government | 2023
    2023, Submission to Law Enforcement Conduct Commission: Operation Tepito Discussion Paper for the Youth Justice Coalition on the Investigation into Police use of the Suspect Target Management Plan (STMP) for children and young people, Youth Justice Coalition, Sydney,
    Submissions to Government | 2022
    2022, Submission to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission NSW: Review of the operation of amendments to the consorting law under Part 3A Division 7 of the Crimes Act 1900, Centre for Crime, Law and Justice, UNSW,
    Submissions to Government | 2022
    2022, Submission to the Law Enforcement Conduct Committee on Operation Tepito (Interim Report)- Investigation into the use by NSW Police Force of the Suspect Targeted Management Plan (STMP), Youth Justice Coalition, Sydney,
    Reports | 2021
    2021, COVID-19 Policing in the Pandemic: Analysis of Reports Submitted to the COVID-19 Policing in Australia Coalition, Flemington & Kensington Community Legal Centre, Victoria, Melbourne, https://www.policeaccountability.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/COVID-policing_report_print.pdf.
    Submissions to Government | 2020
    2020, Submission to Law Enforcement Conduct Commission NSW: Draft Final Report of the Inquiry into NSW Police Force strip search practices,
    Reports | 2019
    2019, Rethinking Strip Searches by NSW Police, UNSW Law, Sydney, https://rlc.org.au/sites/default/files/attachments/Rethinking-strip-searches-by-NSW-Police-web.pdf
    Submissions to Government | 2019
    2019, Submission to the Department of Justice, Strategic Legislation and Policy on the Workplaces (Protection from Protesters) Amendment Bill 2019 (Tas), , https://www.justice.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/551032/University-of-New-South-Wales-submission-Workplace-protesters.PDF
    Reports | 2017
    Sentas V; Pandolfini C, 2017, Policing Young People in NSW: A Study of the Suspect Targeting Management Plan, Youth Justice Coalition, Sydney, http://www.yjc.org.au/report.html
    Reports | 2014
    Sentas V; Boon-Kuo L; Hayes B; Sullivan G, 2014, Building Peace in Permanent War: Terrorist Listing and Conflict Transformation, International State Crime Initiative, London
    Reports | 2010
    Sentas V, 2010, Campaign Against Criminalising Communities, Submission to the Joint Committee for HumanRights on the Terrorist Asset-Freezing Etc. Bill (UK), UK
    Conference Papers | 2010
    Grewcock MJ, 2010, 'The Great Escape: refugees, detention and resistance', in [2010] UNSWLR 8, Victoria University of Wellington, presented at State Crime and Resistance Symposium, Victoria University of Wellington, 18 January 2010 - 19 January 2010, http://ssrn.com/abstract=1553008
    Reports | 2009
    Sentas V; Dias M, 2009, Federation of Community Legal Centres (Vic.), Submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, Review of the re-listing of Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Kurdistan Workers Party, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Palestinian Islamic Jihad as terrorist organizations under the Criminal Code Act 1995, Australia
    Reports | 2008
    Sentas V; Dias M, 2008, Federation of Community Legal Centres (Vic.), Submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, Review of the re-listing of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as a Terrorist Organisation, Australia

 Research Supervision Award, ARC 2018

 

 

 

 

Memberships and Boards

Editorial Board, Australian Feminist Law Journal (2007-)

Andrew and Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law

International State Crime Initiative

Centre for Crime Law and Justice

 

Appearances before Parliamentary Committees (2018-):

  • expert evidence to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security on the re-listing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party as a Terrorist Organisation (September 2018)
  • expert evidence to the Law and Safety Committee, Legislative Assembly of NSW: Inquiry into the adequacy of youth diversionary programs in NSW (March 2018)

Submissions to Public Inquiries:

Submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, Review of the re-listing re-listing of Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Kurdistan Workers Party, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Palestinian Islamic Jihad as terrorist organizations under the Criminal Code Act 1995,  September 2018. 

Submission to the Law and Safety Committee, Legislative Assembly of NSW:  Inquiry into the adequacy of youth diversionary programs in NSW, January 2018.

Redfern Legal Centre, Submission to the ALRC inquiry into the incarceration rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, September 2017 (co-authored with Sophie Parker)

Campaign Against Criminalising Communities, Submission to the Joint Committee for Human Rights on the Terrorist Asset-Freezing Etc. Bill (UK), October 2010.

Federation of Community Legal Centres (Vic.), Submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, Review of the re-listing of Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Kurdistan Workers Party, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Palestinian Islamic Jihad as terrorist organizations under the Criminal Code Act 1995,October 2009 (co-authored with Marika Dias)

Federation of Community Legal Centres (Vic.), Submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, Review of the re-listing of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as a Terrorist Organisation,May 2008 (co-authored with Marika Dias)

Federation of Community Legal Centres (Vic.), Submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, Review of the listing provisions of the Criminal Code Act 1995,February 2007 (co-authored with Marika Dias)

Federation of Community Legal Centres (Vic.), Submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, Review of the listing of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as a Terrorist Organisation, January 2006

‘Part III: Monitoring the Impact of Terrorism Laws on Muslim and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities’ (co-authored with Agnes Chong and Marika Dias) in, Combined Community Legal Centres’ Group (NSW) Inc. et al, Australian NGO Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights, March 2006

Federation of Community Legal Centres (Vic.),Submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee, Anti-Terrorism Bill (No. 2) 2005 (Cth), November 2005(co-authored with Marika Dias)

 

My Research Supervision

  • M. McElhone, 'Policing the 'Arab Other' in New South Wales' (jointly with D.Dixon and M.Grewcock)
  • T. Hopkins, 'Preventing Racial Profiling' (jointly with J.Chan)
  • S. Dametto,' Is the countering of terrorism financing through legislation an effective way to prevent terrorism? ' (jointly with J. Hunter and N.McGarrity)
  • F. Ramsay, 'Sovereign Pleasures and Prohibitions: Law and Law Breaking in the Prohibition Era in the United States of America (1919-1933), (jointly with B.Golder)
  • A. Smith, working on techniques of offshore migration governance under the Security, Precarious Populations and the Neoliberal Age Scientia Project (jointly with B.Golder and D. McLoughlin)
  • S. Qadir, working on discourses of security and counter-terrorism in Pakistan under the Security, Precarious Populations and the Neoliberal Age Scientia Project (jointly with B.Golder and D.McLoughlin)

My Teaching

Crime and the Criminal Process

Police Powers Clinic