Fields of Research (FoR)
Crime and social justice, Criminal law, Human rights and justice issues (excl. law), Global Indigenous studies peoples, society and community, Legal education, Access to justiceSEO tags
Biography
Melanie is Deputy Dean (Education) in the Faculty of Law and Justice. She teaches and convenes Criminal Laws, Advanced Criminal Law and teaches into the Indigenous programs in the Faculty, including the pre-law program and the winter school. She convenes the criminal justice stream in the Humanities Pathway Program.
Melanie is currently a Chief Investigator on three ARC Discovery grants: the Rethinking Community Sanctions Project, which...view more
Melanie is Deputy Dean (Education) in the Faculty of Law and Justice. She teaches and convenes Criminal Laws, Advanced Criminal Law and teaches into the Indigenous programs in the Faculty, including the pre-law program and the winter school. She convenes the criminal justice stream in the Humanities Pathway Program.
Melanie is currently a Chief Investigator on three ARC Discovery grants: the Rethinking Community Sanctions Project, which explores alternative punishments to imprisonment; research into access to justice for Indigenous people in civi and family law; and an ARC Linkage grant exploring the role of the judge in facilitating access to justice when interpreters are used in the criminal courtroom. She has recently completed three further ARC grants: a Linkage grant exploring the civil and family law needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia (http://www.jcu.edu.au/ilnp/), the Australian Justice Reinvestment Project (www.justicereinvestment.unsw.edu.au) investigating the potential for a justice reinvestment approach to reducing incarcerating levels in the Australian context, and the Youth Punishment Project (www.cypp.unsw.edu.au), exploring our attitudes to the punishment of young people.
In 2009 Melanie was awarded the UNSW Vice Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence and in 2010, was highly commended in the LexisNexis-ALTA Awards for Innovation in the Teaching of Law (Australasia). In 2018 she was awarded the UNSW Presidents Award for Embraces Diversity, and in 2017 was runner up in the Respect category.
She was an Editor in Chief of the Australian Journal of Human Rights until the end of 2019 and is a member of the editorial board of the Indigenous Law Bulletin.
Between 2015-2018 Melanie chaired the Law Faculty's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She is was Deputy Academic Lead for the UNSW Athena SWAN gender equity Self Assessment Team until mid 2020.
My Grants
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Title: |
Access to Justice in Interpreted Proceedings: The Role of Judicial Officers |
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Chief investigators: |
Ludmila Stern, Sandra Hale, Melanie Schwartz, Stephen Doherty and George Bisas |
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Role in Project: |
Chief Investigator |
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Source and Scheme: |
ARC Linkage (competitive) |
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Commencement date: |
2019 |
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Duration: |
3 years |
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Total Amount AUD$: |
$252,000 (ARC) + $120,000 partner funds = $372,000 |
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Title: |
Reconceptualising Indigenous Access to Justice in Civil Law |
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Chief investigators: |
Chris Cunneen, Melanie Schwartz and Larissa Behrendt |
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Role in Project: |
Chief Investigator |
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Source and Scheme: |
ARC Discovery (competitive) |
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Commencement date: |
2018 |
|
Duration: |
3 years |
|
Total Amount AUD$: |
$373,000 |
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Title: |
Addressing the Australian Penal Crisis: Rethinking Community Sanctions |
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Chief investigators: |
Julie Stubbs, Chris Cunneen, Melanie Schwartz, David Brown and Eileen Baldry |
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Role in Project: |
Chief Investigator |
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Source and Scheme: |
ARC Discovery Project (competitive) |
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Commencement date: |
2017 |
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Duration: |
3 years |
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Total Amount AUD$: |
$230,000 |
|
Title: |
The Comparative Youth Penality Project |
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Chief investigators: |
Chris Cunneen, Eileen Baldry, Melanie Schwartz and David Brown |
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Role in Project: |
Chief Investigator |
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Source and Scheme: |
ARC Discovery Project (competitive) |
|
Commencement date: |
2013 |
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Duration: |
3 years |
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Total Amount AUD$: |
$429,000 |
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Title: |
The Australian Justice Reinvestment Project |
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Chief investigators: |
Julie Stubbs, Melanie Schwartz, Chris Cunneen and David Brown |
|
Role in Project: |
Chief Investigator |
|
Source and Scheme: |
ARC Discovery Project (competitive) |
|
Commencement date: |
2013 |
|
Duration: |
2 years |
|
Total Amount AUD$: |
$235,000 |
My Awards
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UNSW President’s Award for Diversity |
2018 |
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Runner-Up, UNSW President’s Award for Respect |
2017 |
My Research Activities
Contact
Publications
ORCID as entered in ROS
Research Activities
This project aims to examine the ways judicial officers can improve courtroom communication and prevent miscommunication and error, particularly in criminal cases where speakers of the 'new and emerging' and Aboriginal languages are involved, and where interpreters receive limited or no specialised training. Using an innovative interdisciplinary approach, the project aims to generate new knowledge in examining the variations in judicial officers’ communications practice when working with interpreters, and their…