ProfessorMarilyn McMahon

Dr Marilyn McMahon is a Professor in Deakin Law School. Her research interests are in the areas of criminal law, criminal procedure, criminal responsibility and evidence. She is currently involved in three major research projects. The first project explores how victims and harms are constructed, both historically and in contemporary times, in the law relating to family violence. The second is an investigation of the rule against double jeopardy and its contemporary reform in Australia. The final project explores bail reform.

Marilyn previously worked at La Trobe University. She has published widely in the areas of criminal defences (self-defence and mental state defences) and criminal procedure. She currently is supervising graduate students who are exploring the criminalisation of the infliction of mental harm, domestic violence within the framework of human rights and the sentencing of women who have been victims of family violence. She is happy to supervise research students in any aspect of criminal law, criminal procedure and criminal justice.

In 2017, Marilyn was awarded a Victorian Parliamentary Library Fellowship for the project: Bail Reform and Risk Assessment. Also in the same year in November, she organised a Roundtable that brought together leading national and international scholars on domestic violence to consider whether a special, specific offence was required in order to effectively protect victims. The proceedings will be published in a book she edited along with Paul McGorrery, due to be released in 2019.

She has been appointed to three independent statutory bodies: the Mental Health Tribunal (appointed by the Minister for Health since 1995); the Forensic Leave Panel (appointed by the Minister of Justice and Regulation since 2017) and the Disciplinary Appeals Board (appointed by the Minister for Education since 2017).

Marilyn was previously a member of the Intellectual Disability Review Panel (appointed by the Minister for Health from 1988 to 2004) and was the designated Specialist Forensic Psychologist Member of the Panel from 2002 to 2004.