The Building Bridges project: Linking disconnected service networks in acquired brain injury and criminal justice

ABSTRACT

People with acquired brain injury (ABI) are overrepresented in prison populations across many countries. An effective service response to reduce this trend requires collaboration between the ABI and criminal justice (CJ) sectors. The Building Bridges project piloted a novel professional development model designed to increase cross-sectoral knowledge and collaboration between the ABI and CJ sectors. A total of 178 service providers from Victoria, Australia, participated in six professional development forums that included content about ABI, policing, disability and legal supports, and correctional/post-release services. Participants came from the disability, criminal justice, and health and community service sectors. Using a pre-test–post-test design with 6-month follow-up, data were obtained via a project-specific questionnaire evaluating knowledge and behaviour change among participants. Statistically significant gains in knowledge were shown at post-test and maintained at follow-up. Work-related behaviours addressing ABI/CJ issues had increased significantly within both sectors at follow-up compared to the 6 months prior to the forum. Carefully constructed professional forums improved cross-silo collaboration in the ABI/CJ sectors. This pilot project illustrates effective use of existing service resources, and highlights training as an important part of a raft of initiatives needed to address the overrepresentation of people with ABI in the CJ system.

KEYWORDS:

• Acquired brain injury
• Traumatic brain injury
• Cognitive impairment
• Prisoner
• Justice reinvestment
• Criminal justice
• Training

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Ms Nicole Telfer, Ms Kerry Stringer, Dr Dianne Winkler, and other contributors to the Victorian Coalition of ABI Service Providers who have long worked to assist clients with justice issues. Thanks also to Hilary Murtagh, Robert Spry, Maureen MacPhail, Andrew Redston, and Karen Jorgensen whose coordination efforts at regional level made the project possible. Thank you to Ms Genevieve McMahon and Dr Kathryn Hoskin (Diverge Consulting) and Maysaa Daher and Josephine Wyborn (Brain Injury Rehabilitation Research Group) for their contribution to data collection and tabulation. Finally, thank you to the forum presenters – some of whom travelled many miles to help bring the project to fruition.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a philanthropic grant administered through the Victorian Office of the Public Advocate.