UNSW Law & Justice alumna celebrates prestigious Criminology prize win
Published on the 11 December 2024
Sharleigh Crittenden
Sharleigh Crittenden, UNSW Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Creative Writing and Bachelor of Laws graduate, has won the 2024 Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology Prize for best undergraduate student paper.
Sharleigh, a proud Wiradjuri woman and former Faculty Indigenous Research Cadet, was nominated for her outstanding paper titled 鈥淯nderstanding Criminal Justice Responses to Frontier Violence between Colonists and Aboriginals in Early Colonial Criminal Trials: The Impact of the Myall Creek Massacre Prosecutions on R v Merridio鈥.
Dr. Andy Kaladelfos, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, noted in their nomination of Sharleigh for the prize, 鈥淭his submission is an assignment for 鈥楥rime and Punishment in Historical Perspective鈥, UNSW, which received the top grade (97%). The assignment involved student-led research of original sources on a criminological topic of their own choosing. Crittenden examined the impact of the Myall Creek Massacre on Aboriginal communities. This massacre was a rare time white people were executed for crimes against Aboriginal people. Crittenden shows how this outcome resulted in state violence against Aboriginal communities in 鈥榬etributive prosecutions鈥 in the years following. This is an original argument backed by extensive historical research: an important intervention in our understanding of Australian massacres.鈥
Reflecting on this award, Sharleigh said, "I am deeply honoured to receive this award. My research aims to shed light on the historical injustices faced by Aboriginal communities and contribute to a more nuanced understanding of our past."
Andrew Lynch, Dean of UNSW Law & Justice, said, "Sharleigh's achievement is a testament to her dedication and the high calibre of work produced by our students. Her paper not only excels academically but also provides important insights into the historical context of criminal justice in Australia."
In addition to this prestigious award, Sharleigh is an award-winning First Nations writer and poet. Her writing has been recognised by a number of prizes, grants and fellowships.
Congratulations to Sharleigh on this well-deserved recognition!