7. Nested Studies

A number of nested studies have been undertaken during this project by affiliated researchers drawing on the MHDCD Dataset. The results of those studies are summarised here.

7.1    Aboriginal women with mental health disorders and cognitive disability in the criminal justice system

Elizabeth McEntyre is an Aboriginal woman from the Worimi and Wonnarua peoples of the eastern coast and Hunter Valley of NSW and a mental health social worker. Elizabeth was the Australian Postgraduate Award Industry recipient for the IAMHDCD project, studying under the supervision of Professor Eileen Baldry. The MHDCD Dataset revealed that Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women with mental health and wellbeing issues and/or cognitive impairment (including intellectual disability and acquired brain injury) had contact with the criminal justice system, including the police, courts and prison, at much higher rates than other groups. Elizabeth’s PhD research, nested within the IAMHDCD project, concentrates on the lived experiences of these Australian Indigenous women in both the NSW and NT criminal justice systems.