Melanie Schwartz

Professor Melanie Schwartz serves as Deputy Dean (Education) in the Faculty of Law and Justice at the University of New South Wales. She teaches and convenes Criminal Laws and Advanced Criminal Law courses while also contributing to Indigenous programs including the pre-law program and winter school. Professor Schwartz convenes the criminal justice stream in the Humanities Pathway Program and has established herself as a leading researcher in criminal justice reform with particular focus on Indigenous rights and access to justice.

Her research interests center on criminal justice systems, Indigenous rights, access to justice for marginalized communities, community sanctions as alternatives to imprisonment, and criminal law reform. Professor Schwartz has dedicated her career to addressing systemic inequalities within the justice system, with special attention to the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Her work bridges theoretical frameworks with practical applications to create more equitable justice outcomes, particularly through justice reinvestment approaches that redirect resources from incarceration to community-based solutions.

Analysis of Professor Schwartz's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on penal reform, Indigenous justice, and access to justice issues. Her work demonstrates a strong commitment to translating research into policy impact, with particular emphasis on community-based alternatives to incarceration, cultural safety in legal processes, and the structural barriers faced by Indigenous Australians within the justice system. The interdisciplinary nature of her research connects legal studies with sociology, criminology, and Indigenous studies to address complex justice challenges.

• UNSW Vice Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence (2009)
• LexisNexis-ALTA Award for Innovation in the Teaching of Law - Highly Commended (2010)
• UNSW President's Award for Respect - Runner Up (2017)
• UNSW President's Award for Diversity (2018)

Professor Schwartz has secured significant research funding as Chief Investigator on multiple ARC Discovery and Linkage Projects, including the Rethinking Community Sanctions Project, research into access to justice for Indigenous people in civil and family law, and a project exploring the role of judges in interpreted proceedings. She previously completed the Australian Justice Reinvestment Project and the Youth Punishment Project. Beyond her research, she served as Editor in Chief of the Australian Journal of Human Rights until 2019 and remains on the editorial board of the Indigenous Law Bulletin. From 2015-2018, she chaired the Law Faculty's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and served as Deputy Academic Lead for the UNSW Athena SWAN gender equity Self Assessment Team until mid-2020.