IOHR-CBG
Newsletter
March 2013
Editorial
Welcome to another issue of the IOHR-CBG newsletter. The
biannual newsletter aims to share and promote the progress and
achievements of IOHR-CBG members. Although primarily focusing
on capacity building projects, activities and outputs of IOHR-CBG
members, news and events relevant to Indigenous offender health
will also be reported from time to time.
Since our last newsletter IOHR-CBG members convened in
Canberra for a productive Annual Team Meeting (see p. 2), a
National Forum on Justice Reinvestment and its application in
Australia was convened (see p. 8), and a research project
examining alcohol interventions for Aboriginal men in Australian
prisons has been completed (see p. 8). Further, a number of
research grant applications have been successful within the team
(see p. 3) and two post-graduate scholars have come on board (see
p. 4). So 2013 is looking like a constructive year ahead of us,
working further towards developing research capacity within the
team and the Indigenous Offender health field.
– Paul Simpson
Contents
 Editorial
01
 News
02
 IOHR-CBG web
resource update
06
 Projects update
08
(Team investigators)
09
 Recent IOHR-CBG
outputs & activities
 Upcoming events
Indigenous Offender Health web resource
For those working or interested in Indigenous offender health.
Website: Indigenous Offender Health web resource or
http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/population-groups/offender-health
Twitter: @AIHOffenders
@IOHR-CBG
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NEWS
2012 IOHR-CBG Annual Team Meeting – Canberra
IOHR-CBG Annual Meeting in Canberra, Left to Right (Left picture): Megan Williams (UNSW), Nerelle Poroch (Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal
Health Service), Jill Guthrie (NCIS, ANU),Phyll Dance (NCIS, ANU), Ted Wilkes (NDRI). Left to Right (Right picture): Megan Williams (UNSW), Jill
Guthrie (NCIS, ANU), Peter Schofield (University of Newcastle),Tony Butler (Kirby Institute, UNSW), Michael Doyle (Kirby Institute, UNSW), Mandy
Wilson (NDRI), Nerelle Poroch (Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service).
September 2012 - IOHR-CBG members convened in Canberra for the Annual Team Meeting for the project From
Broome to Berrima: building capacity Australian wide in Indigenous offender health research.
Chaired by Mick Dodson, the day was well-attended by representatives from the project’s three research hubs:
National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) WA, National Centre for Indigenous Studies (NCIS) ACT, and the Kirby
Institute, NSW. Tony Butler welcomed to the team new project coordinator Paul Simpson. Paul gave a project update
and presented project governance, management and budgetary reports.
Project updates and capacity building journeys were presented by IOHR-CBG team investigators: Megan Williams
(Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit, UNSW) spoke about her PhD journey. Megan’s PhD explores the ways urban
Aboriginal families and service providers support their loved ones post-prison release. Megan also spoke of other
projects she is involved in including the Mad Bastards project (see p. 5). Michael Doyle (Kirby Institute) presented
and reported plans to submit his Master’s thesis on Alcohol and other drug programs for Aboriginal men in Australian
prisons, in the coming weeks (see p. 8). Jill Guthrie presented on capacity building related activities. Recent highlights
included: the Justice Reinvestment forum held in Canberra in August (see p. 8), Journal of Australian Health
publication with co-author Michael Levy on H1N1 Surveillance (Influenza control) at an Australian prison (see p. 9 to
access article), the ACT working group on Justice Reinvestment, and submitting an ARC Discovery Indigenous
Application for a NSW-based Justice Reinvestment project (see p 3).
Mandy Wilson of NDRI spoke of the challenges and highlights of the Social and Cultural Resilience of Aboriginal
Mothers in Prison Project, which she is working on with IOHR-CBG member Jocelyn Jones of NDRI and the University
of Western Australia. Paul Simpson presented on a project developed with Jill Guthrie, Michael Doyle, Jocelyn
Jones, and Tony Butler and Gavin Mooney that will assess the public’s views to incarceration versus nonincarceration alternatives (such as Justice Reinvestment) using a Citizens’ Juries approach (see p. 3). Paul also
presented a progress report on the Indigenous offender health web resource , compiled by the Australian Indigenous
HealthInfoNet. Nerelle Poroch presented her research with Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service that
looked at the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the ACT Alexander Maconochie Centre and
their families and spoke about the capacity building workshop for research interviewers. Mandy Wilson and Paul
Simpson also reported that they have begun analysing interviews from the Sexual Health Attitudes Australian
Prisoners (SHAAP) study. Focus of the analysis will be on the experiences of transgender and sistergirl prisoners in
relation to prison policy areas of placement, health services and every-day management.
The second half of the day focused on future capacity building activities: The team discussed the idea of establishing
2 post-graduate scholarships. Tony Butler reported on the various funding applications within the offender health
area that if successful will provide good opportunities for team investigators to further build and consolidate their
research capacities. One highlight was the Centre for Research Excellence (CRE) application which presents a plan to
establish a national CRE in offender health. The establishment of this centre would be unique in Australia and
internationally, and will advance research and policy in this area, as well as improving health outcomes for this
population group. It will provide new knowledge, build capacity in early and emerging researchers, and address
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policy-relevant questions relating to violence, alcohol use, Aboriginal health, disease burden, the threat posed by
infectious diseases, and diversion away from prison and into treatment and other non-incarceration alternatives.
The next IOHR-CBG annual team meeting is planned for September/October 2013 (exact date to be determined) and
will be held in Perth.
2012 Annual Team Meeting in Canberra, Left to Right: Phyll Dance (NCIS, ANU), Ted Wilkes (NDRI), Peter Schofield (University of Newcastle),
Mick Dodson (NCIS, ANU), Tony Butler (Kirby Institute), Dennis Gray (NDRI)
Successful funding applications among IOHR-CBG members
Justice Reinvestment: A NSW-based exploratory study
Justice Reinvestment has been gaining attention among Indigenous, health and offender advocates and is seen as a
possible solution to Indigenous over-representation in Australia’s criminal justice system. However, what is missing is
the evidence to support Justice Reinvestment beyond appealing rhetoric – evidence that can facilitate public debate
and policy attention among politicians. Jill Guthrie has been successful in obtaining an Australian Research Council
2013 Discovery Indigenous award to explore Justice Reinvestment. With IOHR-CBG members, Mick Dodson, Michael
Levy, Tony Butler and Phyll Dance, the research – a 3 year exploratory case study − aims to identify the conditions,
governance structures and cultural appropriateness of reinvesting resources otherwise spent on incarceration, into
holistic health services that could enhance juvenile and young offenders’ ability to remain and realise their human
potential in their community. It will also undertake cost- effectiveness analysis of current spending on incarceration
and cost-benefit analysis of adopting a justice reinvestment approach with the case study community.
Reducing Australia’s Aboriginal prisoner population using Justice Reinvestment – assessing the public’s
views to incarceration versus non-incarceration alternatives using a Citizens’ Jury approach
A challenge to a Justice Reinvestment (JR) type approach, that was identified for further investigation at the 2011
AIATSIS workshop convened by Jill Guthrie in the ACT, relates to populist “tough on crime” policies. The impression
of little sympathy for offenders among the general public is used by politicians to perpetuate punitive penal policies.
Yet there has been little in-depth research into what the public actually think of non-incarceration alternatives like JR.
IOHR-CBG members Jill Guthrie, Michael Doyle, Jocelyn Jones, Paul Simpson and Tony Butler have been successful
in their application for Lowitja Institute project funding to explore the public’s views on how to treat offenders.
Specifically, the project seeks to determine, through a qualitative research method called ‘Citizens’ Juries’, the
opinions and views of a critically informed public towards alternatives to incarceration such as JR. It also examines
whether policy makers’ are influenced by the opinions and views of the Citizens’ Juries. This research will provide
important evidence in the offender health area and contribute to the JR debate among offender health, criminal
justice, political and community stakeholders. View Lowitja project page
Juvenile Offender Sexual Health (JOSH)
Young Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian offenders aged 14-15 years have never been systematically
surveyed regarding their sexual and reproductive health. Similarly, there are no data available on sexual and
reproductive behaviours among adolescents aged 14-15 years in the community. A NHMRC funding application was
successful for IOHR-CBG members Tony Butler and Megan Williams to undertake research in the sexual and
reproductive behaviours of young offenders (14-18 years). Lorraine Yap and Basil Donovan of the Kirby Institute, and
James Ward (Baker Institute / Kirby Institute) are also project team members. The five year project was the third
largest funded within UNSW in the current round of NHMRC project funding. It will be the first research into the
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sexual health and related behaviours of young people in custody in Australia, collecting data from NSW and
Queensland. This research will inform policy and public health responses targeted at this highly vulnerable group.
Reducing Impulsivity in Repeat-violent offenders using an SSRI (REINVESt)
Considerable evidence exists to suggest that impulsivity is a behavioural characteristic underpinning much offending
behaviour, particularly violent offending. IOHR-CBG members Tony Butler and Jocelyn Jones have been recently
awarded a NHMRC Partnership Grant to determine if a pharmacological treatment which reduces impulsivity in
impulsive, repeat-violent offenders - may demonstrate benefits in terms of both reducing violent re-offending and
provide indirect evidence-based support for the consideration of brain pathology in determining the fate of
offenders. As part of the planning for this study a poll of NSW prisoners was conducted to ascertain their interest in
participating in such a study. Many reported they were interested in receiving treatment likely to enhance their selfcontrol and potentially reduce their contact with the criminal justice system. To our knowledge, no studies have
determined the level of interest among repeat-violent offenders to receive a drug that might assist them in dealing
with impulsive urges.
Welcome Lise Lafferty and Dina Saulo!
A warm welcome goes out to our two new postgraduate
Lise, under the supervision of Tony Butler, Jill Guthrie and
scholars Lise Lafferty and Dina Saulo who have joined
Georgina Chambers, will be undertaking her PhD research
the IOHR-CBG.
at the Kirby Institute looking at PTSD treatment of
Dina is a Master of Applied Epidemiology scholar with
Indigenous prisoners. Lise’s research will focus on a costthe National Centre for Epidemiology & Population
benefit analysis of treatment in custody measured with
Health at ANU. Dina’s field placement during her
post-release outcomes. PTSD is the most common mental
candidature will be at the Kirby Institute. Dina has
illness reported among prisoners. Lise holds a Master of
previously worked at the Aboriginal Health and Medical Indigenous Studies and a Master of Social Development
Research Council of NSW (AH&MRC) where she
through the University of NSW and is currently involved in
coordinated the NSW Aboriginal sexual and reproductive the NSW arm of the Social and Cultural Resilience and
health program. Dina has had experience working with a Emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal Mothers in prison
number of marginalised populations in a public health
(SCREAM) research project.
capacity with a particular focus on sexual health, STIs,
BBV & HIV/AIDS.
Lise Lafferty
Dina Saulo
Increasing profile of Justice Reinvestment at Federal level
Senate inquiry into the value of a justice reinvestment approach in Australia
There will be a Senate Inquiry to investigate the value of a justice reinvestment approach to criminal justice in
Australia. On 26 November 2012 the Senate referred the matter to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committees
for inquiry and report. Led by Jill Guthrie, a joint submission will be made by the IOHR-CBG, the National Centre for
Indigenous Studies, and the Justice Reinvestment Research Group. Inquiry and submission details
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Senate adjournment speech acknowledges IOHR-CBG members
IOHR-CBG work continues to make an important contribution to Justice Reinvestment public discourse. This was
evidenced most recently by Senator Penny Wright’s Adjournment speech to Parliament about Justice Reinvestment
where the Senator cited the work of IOHR-CBG members Jill Guthrie, Tony Butler and Michael Levy. View speech
Sad loss of Gavin Mooney
IOHR-CBG members were shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic death of Gavin Mooney and Delys Weston in
December. As a health economist Gavin saw beyond the dollars and cents to the real impacts of illness, disability and
disadvantage. Just recently Jill Guthrie, Tony Butler and I had the privilege of working with Gavin on the Citizens’ Jury
(CJ) pilot assessing the public’s views on non-incarceration alternatives (see below). Gavin’s passion and commitment
to the CJ approach struck me as inspiring. He made his CJ book available online without cost to ensure that it was
accessible to everyone working or interested in health. It is a shame that IOHR-CBG members and the wider
community will not have the opportunity to learn further from Gavin, as there was much to learn from him. Gavin
will be remembered for his commitment to, and passionate advocacy for, equity and social justice surrounding
Indigenous health and for championing citizens’ juries. We plan to continue his ground-breaking work in citizens’
juries in the offender health area, to which Gavin was so instrumental. Gavin and Delys will be missed by all who
knew and worked with him. – Ed
Eulogy and tributes (intouch – PHAA newsletter Feb 2013): http://www.phaa.net.au/documents/Feb2013.pdf
Rest in Peace Gavin Mooney and Del Watson (Gavin Mooney website): http://www.gavinmooney.com/
Offender health Citizens’ Jury – Sydney pilot
In recent years there has been increasing interest in involving communities in decision making in health and health
care through various forms of ‘deliberative democracy’. Citizens’ Juries (CJ) are one such approach and have been
used in various policy fields internationally, including in health in Australia. They involve bringing together a randomly
selected group of citizens, giving them good information on the issues to hand and asking them, as representatives of
the community, about their preferences for certain policy options or priorities for resource allocation. As far as we
are aware CJs have not been used before in Australia in the offender health area.
A pilot CJ facilitated by the late Gavin Mooney was conducted in Sydney recently to evaluate the CJ approach within
an offender health context. The jury was ‘charged’ with considering what principles they wanted to underpin the
treatment of offenders and to consider how best these principles might be put into practice. A CJ recommendations
report was produced outlining three main identified principles: 1) punishment as a function of specific crime
committed and the socio-economic context of the individual; 2) prevention informed by mentoring/education and
addressing structural impediments; and 3) the principles behind the treatment of offenders to be informed by a
critically informed public. The jury agreed that a form of Justice Reinvestment would best allow the first two
principles to be enacted. Evaluation findings showed that 10 from 11 participants indicated high level of satisfaction
with the recommendations report reflecting jury member’s views. Evaluation survey results also indicated that
overall participants responded favourably to the CJ event feeling that: their views counted and were respected; they
were making a valued contribution; and they gained new knowledge and perspectives of offenders.
The recommendation report and pilot evaluation results will allow project members to refine the CJ methodology,
and indicate that CJs have productive potential within the offender health area.
‘Mad Bastards’ program successfully piloted in communities
The Mad Bastards Community Outreach Program and the Mad Bastards Guide: Be the Best You Can Be, build on the
success of feature film Mad Bastards. The film speaks to all of the key issues facing Aboriginal men and their
relationships, as sons, uncles and partners, as well as issues that inhibit transmission of culture including
incarceration, violence and alcohol abuse. Writer and director Brendan Fletcher, and Aboriginal musicians Pigram
Brothers, received many requests for film screenings and discussions with cast and crew. A Working Group
subsequently developed a Community Outreach Program, designed to leverage the film content, to hold culturally
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safe dialogues about ways to strengthen local cultures, skills and identity. Particularly beneficial is the combination of
Mad Bastards film images, music, stories and script dialogue with questions and tools for drawing out film themes in
a cultural group context. Community feedback has described this activity as “one of the few really resonant resources
that speaks intimately to Indigenous men on a level they can relate to”.
Three pilot events were held in late 2012. These events were held in partnership with Gamarada Men’s Self-Healing
in Redfern, Medicare Locals ‘Deadly Dads’ program in Tathra, and as part of the Mibbinbah national camp at Mt
Keira, NSW, attended by close to 100 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander males from across Australia. As per good
practice, feedback from these pilot events informed the ongoing development of the resource. News of the
program’s development has continued to spread via word of mouth.
Funding is currently being sought to meet demand for screenings and discussions – from more than 60 communities
across Australia. An ideal research project...
Get in touch if you would like to be involved – contact details below.
The Mad Bastards Working Group is made up of a number of Aboriginal people with significant experience across
community, medical and tertiary sectors. Our group is ongoing and comprises of Associate Professor Mark Wenitong
(National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and James Cook University), Al Harris (Magpie
Media), Megan Williams (Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit, School of Public Health and Community Medicine,
UNSW), Ken Zulumovski (Gamarada Men’s Self-Healing Program), Professor Alex Brown (Indigenous Health Research,
South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute), Dr Brian McCoy (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Health Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University) Brendan Fletcher (Bush Turkey Films, Director of Mad
Bastards film), Jack Bulman (Mibbinbah), Antony Stockdale and Christina Grant (The Republic).
- Mad Bastards Working Group 2013.
- Contact Megan Williams at megan.williams@unsw.edu.au or mobile 0400 073 358
-------------Mad Bastards Working Group and IOHR-CBG member Megan Williams states that ‘themes emerging from her PhD
research into community and family support for Aboriginal people post-prison release are well depicted in the Mad
Bastards film and program’. Her findings and understandings have been simultaneously presented to, discussed by,
and further developed in the context of the Mad Bastards Working Group, showing how knowledge exchange is
impossible to divorce from the research process¹.
¹ From Wangka Pulka newsletter, issue 7, 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.lowitja.org.au/wangka-pulka-newsletter-august-2012
Indigenous offender health web resource update Website: Indigenous Offender Health web resource
There were 204 new entries for the Offender Health website between Jul and December 2012. Ninety seven of these
were publications and 46 new programs/projects, so worth visiting if you haven’t done so recently.
Entry type
Publications
Resources
Policies & strategies
Organisations
Programs & projects
News items
Conferences and events
Number of new entries Jul-Dec 2012
97
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11
10
46
21
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New publication entries to the offender health web resource:
Re-imagining youth justice: cultural contestation in the Kimberley region of Australia since the 1991 Royal
Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Click here
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Assessing the influence of "standard" and "culturally specific" risk factors on the prevalence and frequency of
offending: the case of Indigenous Australians. Click here
An economic analysis for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders: prison vs residential treatment. Canberra:
Australian National Council on Drugs. Click here
The labour supply of Indigenous Australian females: the effects of fertility and interactions with the justice system.
Click here
Gender, Indigeneity, and the Criminal Courts: A Narrative Exploration of Women's Sentencing in Western Australia.
Click here
Report on Government Services 2013. [Profile of corrective services see Volume 1: Early childhood, education and training;
Justice; Emergency management, Section 8). Click here
2013 Indigenous offender health review update
Planning has begun for the annual minor update of the Review of Indigenous offender health. It is anticipated that
the update will be completed by the end March and will be made available on the offender health section of the AIH
website. A plain language version will also be compiled in April.
IOHR-CBG newsletter – now available online
Previous and current versions of the IOHR-CBG newsletter will now be publically available from the index page of the
offender health site. This provides an accessible platform to promote the advancements and achievements of IOHRCBG members and other Indigenous offender health news and projects. The newsletter comes with a stand-alone url
(http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/population-groups/offender-health/iohr-cbg-newsletter). To subscribe to the
newsletter (and receive it by email) contact Paul at: psimpson@kirby.unsw.edu.au
Web resource usage – dramatic increase by 42-57% during Jul-Dec 2012
Visits: Visits refers to the number of times an individual user accesses the website. From July to December 2012 there
were 1,725 visits to the offender health web resource. In comparison to the same time period the previous year,
visits have increased by 42%.
Page views: Page views refer to the number of times a page is loaded in a web browser. From July to December 2012
there were 3,528 page views to the to the offender health web resource. In comparison to the same time period the
previous year, page views have increased by 57%.
Figure 1 Visits to the offender health section, 1 July to 31 December 2012 (blue), and 3 July 2011 to 2 January 2012
(orange)
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Projects update
IOHR-CBG Team Investigators
Congratulations goes to Michael Doyle who was awarded a Master in Public Health degree based on his
research examining alcohol interventions for Aboriginal men in Australian prisons. Michael’s qualitative
research found that despite there being alcohol and other drug (AoD) programs in prisons in every
state/territory, there have been no published evaluations of such programs between 2005 and 2010.
Furthermore, the vast majority of prison based AoD programs were found to be for people in prison as a
collective group, with only three Indigenous specific programs. This is despite it being recognised that
Indigenous people are a significant group within the prison population and that any work with this group
should be undertaken in a culturally appropriate way. Findings also suggested that it is difficult to recruit
and retain Aboriginal staff including qualified staff to regional locations. Additionally, there are also
language difficulties, as well as other considerations when delivering AoD programs to Indigenous men in
prison. Michael is currently working towards publishing a paper based on this research.
Michael has also begun a PhD candidature at the Kirby Institute under the supervision of Tony Butler
(Kirby Institute), Jill Guthrie (NCIS) and Anthony Shakeshaft (NDARC). Michael’s PhD research will look at
problematic use of alcohol and related other drug use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men in
the offender population.
Michael Doyle speaks about his Master’s research journey coming to an
end at the 2012 IOHR-CBG Annual Team Meeting in Canberra.
Justice Reinvestment forum in Canberra asking ‘Is Justice Reinvestment
needed in Australia?
Jill Guthrie continues her leading work in the Justice Reinvestment area. Following the November 2011
workshop exploring the feasibility of JR in the ACT, Jill convened a JR forum in August 2012 that discussed
JR’s application in Australia, from a panel of national and international experts in the field. The forum was
co-hosted by NCIS, IOHR-CBG, and the Crawford School of Public Policy at the ANU College of Asia and the
Pacific The aim of the Forum was for all participants to learn more about Justice Reinvestment and gain
some shared understandings of its implementation in other countries. Michael Levy (Director of Justice
Health Service in the ACT and IOHR-CBG member) facilitated. Speakers included: Tony Butler (Head,
Justice Health Research Program, Kirby Institute and IOHR-CBG member) who provided a description of
Australia’s incarceration profile; Tom Calma (former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
Commissioner) who spoke on the Justice Reinvestment movement in Australia; Mick Dodson (Director
NCIS and IOHR-CBG member) who spoke about the 20 years since the Royal Commission into
Aboriginal Deaths in Custody; Andrew Coyle and Vivien Coyle who both spoke on how Justice
Reinvestment has been implemented in the United Kingdom; Todd Clear who spoke on the promise and
perils of Justice Reinvestment. More information about this forum including presentations, reports and
audio, go to NCIS events.
Also following the November 2011 forum, a working group was formed comprising the ACT Human Rights
Commission, the local Indigenous elected Body, ACT Chief Minister’s department, ACT Department of
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Community Justice, and NCIS academics Cressida Fforde and Jill Guthrie. The group has met several times
over 2012 to undertake development work that will lead towards submitting an ARC research application
later this year to do an ACT-based JR research project. Jill was also successful in obtaining an Australian
Research Council 2013 Discovery Indigenous award for a 3 year exploratory case study looking at Justice
Reinvestment in a NSW regional town (more information see p. 3).
Jocelyn Jones’ doctoral research exploring Juvenile Justice pathways in Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander children is expected to be competed towards the end of 2013. Jocelyn also continues her work on
the WA arm of the Social and Cultural Resilience and Emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal Mothers in prison (SCREAM)
research project. Megan Williams’ PhD on Aboriginal families and social support post-prison release is also
anticipated to be completed later this year. Megan is also a teaching ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Health Across the Lifespan’ and ‘Case Studies in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health’ for an
Aboriginal Medical Service of Western Sydney student cohort.
Recent offender health publications & reports by IOHR-CBG members
Team Investigators
Guthrie. J., Lokuge K., & Levy, M. (2012). Influenza control can be achieved in a custodial setting:
Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and 2011 in an Australian prison. Public Health, 126(12), 1032-1037. Click here
Guthrie, J. A. (Ed.) (2012). Is Justice Reinvestment Needed in Australia?’ Edited transcript of a one-day
forum held on the 2nd of August, 2012. Click here
Guthrie, J. (2012). Estimating the magnitude of potentially avoidable hospitalisations of Indigenous
children in the Australian capital territory: Some methodological challenges [online]. Australian Aboriginal
Studies, 1, 92-97. Click here
Kariminia, A., Butler, T., Jones, J. & Law, M. (2012), Increased mortality among Indigenous persons during
and after release from prison in New South Wales. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health,
36: 274–280. Click here
Chief investigators & mentors
Butler, T., Richters, J., Yap, L., & Donovan, B. (2012). Condoms for prisoners: no evidence that they
increase sex in prison, but they increase safe sex. Sexually Transmitted Infections. Published Online First.
Retrieved on 5th March 2013 doi:10.1136/sextrans-2012-050856 Click here
Heffernan, E. B., Anderson, K. C., Dev, A., & Kinner, S. (2012). Prevalence of mental illness among
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Queensland prisons. Medical Journal of Australia, 197, 3741. Click here
Kariminia, A., Butler, T., Jones, J. & Law, M. (2012), Increased mortality among Indigenous persons during
and after release from prison in New South Wales. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health,
36: 274–280. Click here
Kinner, S. A., Dietze, P. M., & Alati, R. (2012). Prevalence and correlates of alcohol dependence in adult
prisoners vary according to Indigenous status. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 36(4),
329-334. Click here
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Richmond, L., Butler, T., Indig, D., Wilhelm, K.A., Archer, V.A., & Wodak, A. W. (2012).The challenges of
reducing tobacco use among prisoners (2012). Drug and Alcohol Review, 31, 625–630. Click here
Conferences, seminars, symposia – attendance & presentations
Michael Doyle presented as part of the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee
(NAIDOC) celebration at the Kirby Institute in July 2012. Michael Doyle and Simon Graham both spoke
about their work at Kirby addressing very different aspects of Indigenous health. A report was printed
documenting all the Indigenous health projects undertaken at the Kirby Institute. Click here to view report
Jill Guthrie was keynote speaker on Justice Reinvestment at the Puzzle Integration Conference, Deakin
University, Melbourne; July 2012. Jill also chaired the Indigenous session at the Public Health Association
of Australia - Justice Health Conference, Canberra; August 2012.
Megan Williams co-facilitated a workshop titled ‘How to support post-release transitioning’ at the
Reducing Indigenous Youth Incarceration Criterion Conference in Sydney September 2012.
Other new activities, committee, panel memberships etc.,
submissions, applications …
Doyle, M. (2013). Indigenous reference group member for Reducing Impulsivity in Repeat-violent offenders using an
SSRI (REINVESt) study, Kirby Institute, UNSW (see p. 4).
Doyle, M. (2012-2013). Offender health Citizens’ Juries project member, Kirby Institute, National Centre for
Indigenous Studies, and National Drug Research Institute. (see p. 3).
Jones, J. (2013). Indigenous reference group member for Reducing Impulsivity in Repeat-violent offenders using an
SSRI (REINVESt) study (see p. 4).
Jones, J. (2012-2013). Offender health Citizens’ Juries project member, Kirby Institute, National Centre for Indigenous
Studies, and National Drug Research Institute. (see p. 3).
Williams, M. (2013). Indigenous reference group member for Reducing Impulsivity in Repeat-violent offenders using
an SSRI (REINVESt) study (see p. 4).
Williams, M (2012-2013). Mad Bastards Community Outreach Program Working Group Member (see p. 5).
Williams, M. (2012). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group member for the National Cannabis
Prevention and Information Centre. , University of NSW, Sydney.
Williams, M. (2012). Reference Group member, Aboriginal Community Participation Meeting, Determining the
impact of opioid substitution therapy upon mortality and recidivism among prisoners: a 22 year data linkage study.
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), University of NSW, Sydney.
Williams, M. (2012). Invited Panel Member – Courage Questions in Health Research, Congress Lowitja 2012 Knowledge Exchange and Translation into Practice. Melbourne
Williams, M. (2011-2013). University of NSW ‘Link Person’ to the Lowitja Institute, incorporating the Cooperative
Research Centre for Aboriginal Health.
Guthrie, J. (2012). Justice Reinvestment Roundtable member (convened by Senator Penny Wright). Parliament
House, Canberra. Sen Penny Wright Media release
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Guthrie, J., with The National Centre for Indigenous Studies, & ACT Corrective Services (2013). Indigenous Justice
Program Funding Application to do the research arm for implementing a Throughcare program for Indigenous
detainees in the Alexander Maconochie Centre (outcome expected in April).
Upcoming conferences, events
The National Social Inclusion and Complex Needs Conference – Canberra
15-16 April 2013
This event will be the first Australian conference to showcase successful programs/approaches in addressing complex needs and
social determinants of health - with the broader purpose of identifying what works and how.
It has long been acknowledged that people with complex needs often fall through the cracks in service delivery - between national
and jurisdictional service delivery, between government and non-government services, and between services delivered by
different portfolio agencies. This conference seeks to identify and showcase successful collaborative efforts in service delivery,
with a view to informing whole-of-government approaches to policy and program development.
The conference will be an excellent opportunity to hear the most recent research and practitioner wisdom with a view to breaking
down structural and systemic barriers to achieving better health and social outcomes for people with complex needs. With noted
national experts from both government and non-government sectors showcasing their work, the conference aims to shed new
light and consider current evidence about issues relevant to, and the challenges in seeking to, achieve better outcomes for people
with complex needs in the Australian community.
More info: PHAA Complex Needs Conference
Human rights and policing conference – Canberra
16-18 April 2013
In April 2013, the ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security (CEPS) will be holding a three day conference to commemorate
the 50th anniversary of the original 1963 seminar. The 2013 conference will examine issues from the 1963 seminar, address the
evolution of human rights since 1963, and also consider new topics of concern that did not confront law enforcement in 1963.
These issues include:
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discrimination (e.g. gender, race, disability)
Indigenous concerns
balancing human rights and security
the role of modern policing
corruption and ethics
the differing structures of policing.
More info: Human Rights and Policing Conference
Public Health Association Australia (PHAA) 42nd annual conference – Melbourne
16-18 September, 2013
**Abstract submissions close Friday 15 March 2013.
The theme of the conference is A 'fair go' for health: tackling physical, social and psychological inequality. The PHAA conference
will bring together expert researchers, practitioners and policy workers who are taking action on social inequalities in health. The
sharing of knowledge through keynote papers by leading international and national figures, and presentations of the latest
Australian research, will be just the beginning. All those attending will also have the opportunity to learn about and contribute to
the development of PHAA policy and advocacy on issues of current concern to public health.
The three sub-themes for the conference are physical, social and psychological inequalities, and abstracts are invited on, but not
limited to:
inequalities in physical and natural environments - improving built and natural environments, climate change and food
security
psychological inequalities - promoting community mental health and wellbeing, and addressing health-related behaviours
and psychology
- social inequalities - addressing the social determinants of health.
More info: PHAA 42nd Annual Conference
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IOHR-CBG Annual Team Meeting - Perth
Sep/Oct 2013
This event will present current and emerging research and projects by IOHR-CBG investigators and other Indigenous offender
health researchers
Program to be determined
Any questions please contact Paul: psimpson@kirby.unsw.edu.au
Other conferences
Communicable Disease Control conference 2013
19-20 March 2013, Canberra
2013 Inaugural APS Health Psychology Conference
5-6 April, 2013, Cairns
Other stories, reports, resources …
Mental illness and cognitive disability in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners – a human rights approach by Mick Gooda
Inside Out: The mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in custody report –Queensland Forensic Mental
Health Service, Queensland Health (PI Ed Heffernan).
Any events, news, corrections, addendums, broken links etc please email Paul: psimpson@kirby.unsw.edu.au
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