The Prison and Correctional Health Research Group conducts research to improve the health and wellbeing of people in prison or otherwise in contact with the correctional system, with a particular focus on blood-borne viruses (BBV), drug use, and harm reduction. Our work is grounded in the belief that robust evidence is essential for informing policies, programs, and clinical practices that reduce health inequities experienced by people affected by incarceration. Through epidemiological research, surveillance, and evaluation of clinical and public health interventions, we generate the data needed to understand health needs, identify gaps in care, and support effective responses both within prisons and after release.
We work closely with correctional services, justice health providers, policymakers, community organisations and other key stakeholders across Australia, including the National Prison Hepatitis Network, to ensure our research is relevant, practical, and impactful. A flagship project of the group is the Australian Hepatitis and Risk Survey in Prisons (AusHep Study), a national repeated biobehavioural survey that monitors the epidemiology of BBV, drug use, and injecting-related bacterial infections in prisons, evaluates access to testing, treatment, and harm reduction services, and provides critical evidence to guide public health action. The group also closely collaborates with other research programs within the Kirby Institute and externally, contributing to efforts to improve health outcomes for people affected by incarceration.
