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Justice Human Research Ethics Committee

The Department of Justice Human Research Ethics Committee (JHREC), established in 1996, ensures that any research the Department of Justice conducts, commissions or supports satisfies ethical standards for research. The Committee is registered as a HREC with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Research applications to the department or its agencies need to conform to the NHRMC National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007) which:

• sets out the principles for conducting research involving humans, and
• indicates clearly the issues the department’s committee considers in determining the scientific merit of research applications and any ethical issues they raise.

One of the important issues the JHREC considers is whether research applications have appropriate procedures for gaining consent from participants.

Membership

Under standard guidelines for institutional ethics committees in Australia, the Department’s JHREC consists of:

• a prominent Victorian with knowledge in the justice area (Chair)
• lay people (male and female) not associated with the institution
• a lawyer
• a minister of religion
• an academic with research experience in the criminal justice area
• a representative of the Department of Justice.

Members are appointed for two years, and are eligible for re-appointment. Procedures and guidelines have been developed to avoid conflict of interest in Committee deliberations and if external expert advice is needed.