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

Aaron Murnan; Henry Duah; Nichole Nidey; Julie Wijesooriya; Sarah Manchak; Samantha Boch; West End Community Research Advisory Board (WE-CRAB)

doi:10.1007/s12103-026-09902-6

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

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

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

Aaron Murnan, Henry Duah, Nichole Nidey, Julie Wijesooriya, Sarah Manchak, Samantha Boch and West End Community Research Advisory Board (WE-CRAB)

American journal of criminal justice

03/31/2026

DOI: 10.1007/s12103-026-09902-6

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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.

Criminal justice involvement

Intergenerational effects

Health and justice

Methodologies

Big data

Details

Title: Subtitle: The Promise of Integrating Health and Corrections Datasets: A Short Report on Familial Impact of Parental Justice System Involvement
Creators: Aaron Murnan - The Ohio State University
Henry Duah - Marquette University
Nichole Nidey - University of Iowa
Julie Wijesooriya - University of Cincinnati
Sarah Manchak - United States Department of Justice
Samantha Boch - University of Cincinnati Medical Center
West End Community Research Advisory Board (WE-CRAB)
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: American journal of criminal justice
DOI: 10.1007/s12103-026-09902-6
ISSN: 1066-2316
eISSN: 1936-1351
Publisher: Springer
Grant note: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences: 2UL1TR001425
N/A.
Language: English
Electronic publication date: 03/31/2026
Academic Unit: Psychiatry; Epidemiology; Addiction Medicine; Craniofacial Anomalies Research Center
Record Identifier: 9985149085402771

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