Jocelynne Scutt grew up in the Western Australian wheatbelt. She has been awarded law degrees from the universities of Western Australia (1969), Sydney and New South Wales (1984) as well as institutions in the USA and UK. In 1994 Macquarie University awarded her the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, for her work in feminist jurisprudence and law reform, particularly in relation to rape law and criminal assault at home and other forms of domestic violence.
Formerly a practicing barrister in Victoria, she became Tasmania's Anti-Discrimination Commissioner in October 1999. Scutt has worked with the Australian Institute of Criminology, the Victorian Law Reform Commission, the Australian Law Reform Commission, the Victorian Parliamentary Legal and Constitutional Committee, and as Associate to Justice Lionel Murphy of the High Court of Australia.
A prominent feminist, Scutt has authored numerous books and articles including many non-fiction works discussing legal and social issues, often as they relate to women. These include Domestic Violence in Australia (1980, Women and the Law (1990) and The Incredible Woman : Power and Sexual Politics (1997).
