Exploring Crime in Melbourne Today

Overview

Twenty years since Pentridge Prison last closed its doors on inmates, the infamous site is opening up discussion on crime and incarceration. Over one law and order-filled evening, criminologist and lecturer Michelle Noon will talk through subjects that continue to fascinate, chatting about public perceptions of overflowing jails, rising criminal activities and lenient sentencing — and comparing them with the research and the reality.

Indeed, if you're going to chat crime and community safety, then doing so behind the Coburg site's iconic bluestone walls couldn't be more fitting. And that's the whole point of hosting the event at  a place Ned Kelly and Mark "Chopper" Read once called home. The historic facility might be undergoing quite the transformation — with a microbrewery, pub, 15-screen cinema and apartments soon moving in — but the developers behind it are committed to acknowledging the former prison's past.

Those keen on doing just that at How Safe Are We? Exploring Crime In Melbourne Today best get in quick, however. While the discussion is open to the public, only 40 tickets are available.