CURTIN University Associate Professor Tony Butler’s unique approach to social and health research may one day help stop criminal behaviour.

Dr Butler is an epidemiologist in the National Drug Research Institute, which is an international leader in drug and alcohol research.

Associate Professor Tony Butler’s research into health issues in prisons could see benefits for the wider community / Image: Istockphoto

His research focuses on social and health issues among prison populations, particularly in reducing violent behaviour, disease and drug abuse.

He was recently awarded a prestigious Australian Research Council’s Future Fellowship—an award that helps to keep the best mid-career researchers here in Australia. This year, only 200 fellowships were awarded nationally, 13 of those in WA.

“I work in the area where health and criminal justice intersect. Not many people operate here,” Dr Butler says.

According to Dr Butler, most researchers and clinicians focus on one area or the other, which has led to gaps in policy planning, prevention and treatment services.

Over the next four years Dr Butler will look at four big issues among prisoners: impulsive behaviour that leads to violence and crime, the link between head injuries and criminal behaviour, blood-borne infections such as HIV and hepatitis, and health- and drug-related issues in Indigenous Australian prisoners.

Dr Butler collaborates with clinicians, correctional services and the courts to recruit subjects for his studies. One of his pilot studies in NSW has already shown a reduction in impulsive and often violent behaviour in prisoners when given medication that is traditionally used to treat depression.

He also accesses databases to collect targeted information on these high-risk populations. Western Australia is a world leader in data linkage systems, which Dr Butler says is a big advantage for WA-based social and health researchers.

Ultimately, the results from his work will help guide government policy-making.

According to Dr Butler, offenders tend to come from the most marginalised parts of society, where their problems are not adequately addressed. This lack of intervention and access to services impacts both economically and socially on prisons and the community.

Although these projects will focus on the entire prison population, the Indigenous Australian population will be specifically addressed. According to Dr Butler, WA has the highest Indigenous incarceration rate in Australia, and Australia in turn has one of the highest rates in the developed world.

The project aims to keep these high-risk groups on the national agenda, where planning and prevention strategies, services and treatment options can be explored and made into policy to be used by planning and health services.

In turn, communities will see positive results.  Programs to immunize prisoners against hepatitis B infection and education to modify prisoners’ behaviours will lower their risk of infections such as HIV and hepatitis.  Programs promoting the use of prescribed medications will reduce the numbers of violent re-offenders.

“Our findings can reduce the huge amounts of money spent on imprisoning offenders by stopping some of them from offending in the first place,” Dr Butler says.

“We will also be able to deal with the health problems that arise from large prison populations.”

Comments (0)