Work

The Promise of Integrating Health and Corrections Datasets: A Short Report on Familial Impact of Parental Justice System Involvement

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This case study describes the development of a novel cross-sector administrative data linkage in a large Midwestern city, which connected maternal justice involvement records from state and county systems with mother-child health data from adult and pediatric healthcare institutions. Designed to overcome barriers in studying intergenerational impacts of criminal justice involvement, the project was conducted in two phases: creation of a maternal justice dataset using public records; and linkage to a regional perinatal health repository via an honest broker. The resulting de-identified dataset enables research on mechanisms by which maternal justice involvement affects child health and healthcare use. Guided by a community research advisory board and approved by **IRB masked**, the study emphasized ethical considerations and minimizing potential harm. Despite limitations, this work offers replicable, cost-effective models for integrated data use that can contribute to national efforts to improve outcomes for justice-involved families through cross-sector collaboration and data-informed policy innovation.

Source: American Journal of Criminal Justice

DOI: 10.1007/s12103-026-09902-6

Authors: Aaron Murnan, Henry Duah, Nichole Nidey, Julie Wijesooriya, Sarah Manchak, Samantha Boch