Robyn Blewer

Dr Robyn Blewer is a Lecturer at Griffith Law School, Griffith University, and Director of the Griffith University Innocence Project since March 2020. She is a member of the Griffith Criminology Institute and contributes to Sustainable Development Goals 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and 5 (Gender Equality).

Her educational background includes a Master of Criminology and Criminal Justice (2012) examining child victim support services, and a Doctor of Philosophy completed through the Australian Research Council's 'The Prosecution Project', analyzing Australia's child witness law across the twentieth century.

Robyn's research centers on criminal trial procedure with specialized expertise in wrongful convictions, child witnesses, and historical development of Australian criminal justice. Her interdisciplinary work bridges law, criminology, psychology, and history, frequently addressing vulnerable witnesses and gender dynamics in legal contexts. She has published in leading journals and authored the book Bringing Little Kiddies into Court – Child Witnesses in Australian Courts 1880-2000 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021).

Analysis of her publication history reveals consistent focus on historical and contemporary criminal justice issues, with increasing emphasis on wrongful convictions of women, technological impacts on evidence (e.g., body-worn cameras), and intersectional approaches to gender and justice. Her work demonstrates strong methodological diversity spanning archival research, legal analysis, and empirical studies.

Her key recognition includes:

• Shortlisted for Patricia Grimshaw Prize (2022) for significant contribution to Australian history

Robyn serves as Associate Supervisor for doctoral research on penal regimes and no-body murder trials. She actively engages in funded research including the Prosecution Project repository ($50,000), Queensland Corrective Services Historical Research Project, and First Nations Justice Standards Project. Her consultancy includes Queensland Department of Justice editorial work and Caxton Legal Centre bail program evaluation with Professors Marchetti and Bond.

She collaborates with the Harry Gentle Resource Centre on Queensland criminal justice history and contributes to Griffith Criminology Institute's research network, focusing on practical applications of historical legal analysis to contemporary justice reforms.