Major research projects

The Queensland Cross-sector Research Collaboration (QCRC) is a partnership with Queensland government departments and agencies to promote ongoing use and oversight of the 1983, 1984 and 1990 longitudinal cohorts. Spearheaded by the late Professor Anna Stewart, this rich dataset was created as part of an ARC Linkage Project funded in 2011 focused on Understanding the relationship between mental illness and offending (LP100200469). Data from 13 agencies were linked by the Queensland Government Statisticians Office (QGSO) and Queensland Health, including child protection, mental health, trauma, youth and adult offending, domestic violence protection orders, and births, deaths & marriages.

Aims

The original ARC linkage project from which the QCRC is based focused on the relationship between mental illness and offending, specifically aiming to: (1) investigate the dynamic relationships between mental illness and offending; (2) identify interventions to prevent individuals experiencing a mental illness from offending and reoffending; and (3) identify appropriate strategies to manage and treat mentally ill offenders to ameliorate the adverse consequences of offending for people with a mental illness. As part of this project, a rich longitudinal population-based linked administrative dataset was created that can be used to answer many important social, health, and criminological questions.

The QCRC includes a small team of researchers primarily from the Griffith Criminology Institute (GCI). The QCRC is governed by a Steering Committee that includes representatives from the Queensland Government departments, who meet every six months to facilitate communication of all projects and to provide input into the development of new projects. Strict protocols are followed regarding access and use of these data which are stored in the Social Analytics Lab at Griffith University.

About the project

Using the QCRC data, the team has been able to explore the developmental precursors and pathways of mental illness, offending and child maltreatment.

Recent papers (since 2020):

Who maltreats? Distinct pathways of intergenerational (dis) continuity of child maltreatment

Are dual-system offenders different? An examination of prevalence and specialization in criminal offending and child maltreatment perpetration

Understanding Risk and Protective Factors for Maternal Maltreatment: A Population-Based Comparative Analysis

Lifetime prevalence of mental illness and incarceration: An analysis by gender and Indigenous status

Prevalence of psychiatric disorders for Indigenous Australians: a population-based birth cohort study

Dual-system involvement: exploring the overlap between domestic and family violence and child maltreatment perpetration

The costs of Indigenous and non-Indigenous offender trajectories

Establishing better cost estimates for Indigenous and non-Indigenous offender trajectories

Project Leaders: Dr Troy Allard and Dr Carleen Thompson

Project Team: Dr Troy Allard (Griffith), Dr Carleen Thompson (Griffith), Professor Susan Dennison (Griffith), Professor Steve Kisely (UQ), Dr Emily Hurren Paterson (CQU), Dr James Ogilvie (Griffith), Dr Stacy Tzoumakis (Griffith), Dr Belinda Crissman (Griffith), Dr Molly McCarthy (UM)

PhD Candidates: Emma McKenzie (Griffith), Jaana Haaja (Griffith), Ayda Kuluk (Griffith)

Industry Partners: Queensland Government

Type of Funding: Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project; Australian Institute of Criminology (Criminological Research Grants)

Dates: Ongoing