Patrick Burton

Patrick (Pat) Burton holds a MA in Criminology and Corrections (University of Tasmania 2013). His late entry into academia followed 27 years in the transport industry, then over 20 years working in the community sector including as a youth worker, agency manager, care worker, correctional officer and agency case worker.

Between 2005 and 2008, Pat led the design and delivery of a number of reintegration programs for men exiting prison as a case worker of Bethlehem House Men’s Homeless Shelter in Hobart.

Between 2010 and 2017, Pat established and worked as Food Program Manager for SecondBite Tasmania, and organisation dedicated to addressing food insecurity by redistributing surplus food to vulnerable people.

In a voluntary capacity, Pat was a founding member and inaugural chair of JusTas Inc. which is a Tasmanian organisation advocating for people re-entering the community from prison, a member of Just Desserts; a group supporting participants in Tasmania’s Court mandated drug diversion program and a Family Engagement Worker for the Onesimus Foundation which assists families (and especially children) maintain contact with people in prison.

Pat will soon be taking up a role as Advocacy and Campaign Coordinator (Tasmania) for the Justice Reform Initiative - a national organisation advocating for reforms to the Criminal Justice System - with a strong focus on the failure of and alternatives to imprisonment.

Over the past two years, Pat has worked with Distinguished Professor Rob White as a researcher and co-author on:

- Evaluating Connect42’s ‘Just Time’ Parenting Program which was delivered in Risdon Prison in Tasmania (2019).
- Data Analysis of the Tasmanian Custodial Inspector’s Prisoner and Prison Staff Surveys (2020) and,
- Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute’s, ‘People exiting prison with complex support needs: the role of housing assistance’, (2021).

Pat is semi-retired and likes to spend time with his children and grandchildren, growing vegetables and playing golf while he is not involved in criminological research and projects.