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Curtin University of Technology
National Drug Research Institute

Preventing Harmful Drug Use In Australia

NDRI staff member

Tony Butler photo  

Associate Professor Tony Butler

Associate Professor

Telephone:
Fax:
Email:		 61 (0)8 9266 1616
61 (0)8 9266 1611
t.butler@curtin.edu.au

Introduction

Associate Professor Tony Butler has over twenty years experience in social and health research in the UK and Australia in a range of

areas including mental health, drugs and alcohol, child abuse, Olympic Games public health planning, social services research, and marketing research. In addition to undertaking research he has also spent considerable time working in policy development at state and local government level.

Since completing a PhD in 2001 on risk behaviours and infectious diseases among prisoners, he has continued working in the field of health and criminal justice. This has involved conducting two wide-ranging population-based health surveys of adult prisoners in 1996 and 2001, two surveys of juvenile offenders in custody and in the community, and implementing a world’s first prison injury surveillance system in NSW. In 2003 he headed a group who undertook the largest mental health survey of prisoners in Australia which resulted in national recognition of the problem of mental illness among our incarcerated population. More recently he pioneered the development of national health indicators for prisoners.

Tony has published over 50 articles on prisoners’ health in a diverse range of areas including drug & alcohol. traumatic brain injury, Indigenous prisoners’ health, violence and injury, sexually transmitted infections, blood borne viruses, chronic disease, mental health, mortality among ex-prisoners, women’s health, and adolescent offender health.

Current research projects include: causes of mortality among ex-prisoners; a multi-component intervention for smoking cessation among Australian prisoners; Sexual Health and Attitudes of Australian Prisoners (SHAAP) survey; “breaking the juvenile crime cycle: rehabilitating high-risk juvenile offenders”; the National Prison Entrants’ Bloodborne Virus & Risk Behaviour Survey; an intervention to reduce impulsive-aggressive behaviours in repeat violent offenders; and developing a national minimum dataset for prisoners.

Memberships

Other

Current projects

Publications

Burns, L., Randall, D., Hall, W., Law, M., Butler, T.G., Bell, J. and Degenhardt, L. (2009). Opiod agonist pharmacoptherapy in New South Wales from 1985 to 2006: patient characteristics and patterns and predictors of treatment retention: retention in opiod agonist pharmacoptherapy. Addiction, 104, (8), pp. 1363-1372. [RJ676]

Butler, T.G. (2009). WA Health and Criminal Justice Research Forum report. National Drug Research Institute. [R234]

Butler, T.G., Belcher, J., Champion, U., Allerton, M. and Fasher, M. (2009). The physical health status of young Australian offenders. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 32, pp. 73-80. [RJ572]

Butler, T.G., Degenhardt, L., Randall, D., Hall, W., Law, M. and Burns, L. (2009). Mortality among clients of a state-wide opiod pharmacotherapy program over 20 years: Risk factors and lives saved. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 105, pp. 9-15. [RJ695] Abstract

Lenton, S., Dietze, P., Degenhardt, L., Darke, S. and Butler, T.G. (2009). Naloxone for administration by peers in cases of heroin overdose. Medical Journal of Australia, 198, (8), pp. 469. [RJ685] Paper

Lenton, S., Dietze, P., Degenhardt, L., Darke, S. and Butler, T.G. (2009). Now is the time to take steps to allow peer access to naloxone for heroin overdose in Australia. Drug and Alcohol Review, 28, pp. 583-585. [RJ702] Paper Abstract

Richmond, R., Butler, T.G., Wilhelm, K., Wodak, A., Cunningham, M. and Anderson, I. (2009). Tobacco in prisons: a focus group study. Tobacco Control, 18, (3), pp. 176-182. [R217]

Butler, T.G. (2008). Prisoner Health. Australia's Health (chapter). Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra. pp. 87-91. ISBN: 978 1 74024 762 7 [CH148]

Butler, T.G. (2008). Prisoner health research: why bother? CentreLines, (24). NDRI, Perth, Western Australia. pp. 2-3. [UP20] Paper

Butler, T.G. and Papanastasiou, C. (2008). National Prison Entrants' Bloodborne Virus & Risk Behaviour Survey Report 2004 & 2007. National Drug Research Institute (Curtin University) & National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research (University of New South Wales). ISBN: 1 74067 582 7 [R223] Paper

Cashin, A., Potter, E. and Butler, T.G. (2008). The relationship between exercise and hopelessness in prison. Journal of Psychiatry and Mental Health Nursing, 15, pp. 66-71. [RJ677]

Richmond, R., Butler, T.G., Wilhelm, K., Wodak, A., Cunningham, A. and Anderson, I. (2008). Tobacco in prisons: findings from a focus group study of prisoners and ex-prisoners. Tobacco Control. [RJ678]

Ritchers, J., Butler, T.G., Yap, L., Kirkwood, K., Grant, L., Smith, A., Schneider, K. and Donovan, B. (2008). Sexual health and behaviour of New South Wales prisoners. School of Public Health and Community Medicine., University of New South Wales. ISBN: 978-0-7334-2687-2 [M72] Paper

Allnut, S., Butler, T.G. and Yang, B. (2007). Mentally ill prison inmantes in Australia have poor physical health. International Journal of Prisoner Health, 3, pp. 99-110. [RJ578]

Butler, T.G., Allnut, S., Cain, D. and Kariminia, A. (2007). Mental health status of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australian prisoners. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 41, pp. 429-435. [RJ575]

Butler, T.G., Boonwaat, L., Hailstone, S., Falconer, S., Lems, P. and Ginley, T. (2007). The 2004 Australian prison entrants' blood borne viruse and risk behaviour survey. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 31, pp. 44-50. [RJ583]

Butler, T.G., Gjersing, L., Capelhorn, J., Belcher, J. and Matthews, R. (2007). Attitudes and beliefs towards methadone maintenance treatment among Australian prison health staff. Drug and Alcohol Review, 26, pp. 501-508. [RJ573]

Butler, T.G., Kariminia, A., Law, M., Corben, S., Levy, M., Kaldor, J. and Grant, L. (2007). Factors associated with mortality in a cohort of australian prisoners. European Journal of Epidemiology, 22, pp. 417-428. [RJ570]

Butler, T.G., Kariminia, A., Law, M., Levy, M., Corben, S., Kaldor, J. and Grant, L. (2007). Suicide risk among recently released prisoners in New South Wales, Australia. Medical Journal of Australia, 187, pp. 387-390. [RJ569]

Butler, T.G., Richmond, R., Belcher, J., Wilhelm, K. and Wodak, A. (2007). Should smoking be banned in prisons? Tobacco Control, 16, pp. 291-293. [RJ571]

Butler, T.G., Van der Poorten, D., Kenny, D.T. and George, J. (2007). Liver disease in Adolescents: A cohort study of high-risk individuals. Hepatology, 46, pp. 1750-1758. [RJ654]

Kariminia, A. and Butler, T.G. (2007). Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health differentials in Australian prisoners. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 31, pp. 366-371. [RJ576]

Kariminia, A., Butler, T.G., Corben, S., Levy, M., Grant, L. and Kaldor, J. (2007). Extreme cause specific mortality among adults who have served time in prison. International Journal of Epidemiology, 36, pp. 310-316. [RJ582]

Levy, M., Butler, T.G. and Zhao, J. (2007). Prevalence of Mantoux positivity and annual risk of infection for tuberculosis in New South Wales prisoners, 1996 and 2001. NSW Public Health Bulletin, 18, pp. 119-124. [RJ579]

Minc, A., Butler, T.G. and Gahan, G. (2007). The Jailbreak Health Project: incorporating a unique radio programme for prisoners. International Journal of Drug Policy, 18, pp. 444-446. [RJ655]

Yap, L., Butler, T.G., Ritchers, J., Kirkwood, K., Grant, L., Saxby, M., Ropp, F. and Donovan, B. (2007). Do condoms cause rape and mayhem? The long-term effects of condoms in New South Wales prisons. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 883, pp. 219-222. [RJ584]

Baker, A., Jackson Pulver, L., Ivers, R., Bowman, J., Butler, T.G., Wye, P., Walsh, R., Richmond, R., Belcher, J., Wilhelm, K. and Wodak, A. (2006). Where there's smoke, there's fire: High prevalence of smoking among some sub-populations. Drug and Alcohol Review, 25, pp. 85-96. [RJ591]

Belcher, J., Butler, T.G., Richmond, R., Wodak, A. and Wilhelm, K. (2006). Smoking and its correlates in an Australian prisoner population. Drug and Alcohol Review, 25, pp. 343-348. [RJ588]

Butler, T.G. (2006). A review of data collections relating to Indigenous and non-indigenous people in Australian prisons. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. National Prisoner Health Indicator Project., Canberra. [R230]

Butler, T.G. (2006). Prisoner Health. Australia's Health (chapter). Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra. pp. 249-251. ISBN: 1 74024 565 2 [CH160]

Butler, T.G. (2006). The health of the people of New South Wales: report of the chief health officer. Population Health Division - Aboriginal Prisoner Health Chapter. NSW Dep of Health, Sydney. [CH163] Paper

Butler, T.G. and Kariminia, A. (2006). Prison violence: Perspective and epidemiology. NSW Public Health Bulletin, 17, pp. 17-19. [RJ587]

Butler, T.G., Andrews, G., Allnut, S., Smith, N., Sakashita, C. and Basson, J. (2006). Mental disorders in Australian prisoners: A comparison with a community sample. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 40, pp. 272-276. [RJ592]

Cashin, A., Butler, T.G., Levy, M. and Potter, E. (2006). Intellectual disability in the New south Wales inmate population. International Journal of Prisoner Health, 2, pp. 115-120. [RJ586]

Kenny, D.T., Nelson, P., Butler, T.G., Lennings, C., Allerton, M. and Champion, U. (2006). NSW Young people on community orders health survey 2003-2006: Key findings Report. Key findings report., The University of Sydney. ISBN: 1-86487-845-2 [R225] Paper

Richmond, R., Butler, T.G., Belcher, J., Wodak, A., Wilhelm, K. and Baxter, E. (2006). Promoting smoking cessation among prisoners: Feasibility of a multi-component intervention. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 30, pp. 474-478. [RJ581]

Riddell, S., Nielssen, O., Butler, T.G., MacDonald, C. and Starmer, G. (2006). The relationship between amphetamine use, crime and psychiatric disorder among prisoners in New South Wales. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 13, pp. 160-165. [RJ580]

Schofield, P., Butler, T.G., Hollis, S., Smith, N., Lee, S. and Kelso, W. (2006). Neuropsychiatric correlates of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among Australian prison entrants. Brain Injury, 20, pp. 1409-1418. [RJ585]

Schofield, P., Butler, T.G., Hollis, S., Smith, N., Lee, S. and Kelso, W. (2006). Traumatic brain injury among Australian prisoners: Rates, recurrence and sequelae. Brain Injury, 20, pp. 499-506. [RJ589]

Thein, H., Butler, T.G., Krahn, M., Rawlinson, W., Levy, M., Kaldor, J. and Dore, G.J. (2006). The effect of hepatitis C virus infection on health-related quality of life in prisoners. Journal of Urban Health, 83, pp. 275-288. [RJ590]

Butler, T.G., Allnut, S., Cain, D., Owens, D. and Muller, C. (2005). Mental illness in the New South Wales (Australia) prisoner population. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 39, pp. 407-413. [RJ596]

Butler, T.G., Boonwaat, L. and Hailstone, S. (2005). National prison entrants' blood borne virus survey. Centre for Health Research in Criminal Justice and National Centres in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research., University of NSW. ISBN: 0-7347-37440 [CH165]

D'Souza, R.M., Butler, T.G. and Petrovsky, N. (2005). Assessment of cardiovascular disease risk factors and diabetes mellitus in Australian prisons: Is the prisoner population unhealthier than the rest of the Australian population? Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 29, pp. 318-323. [RJ595]

Kariminia, A., Butler, T.G., Kaldor, J., Corben, S., Levy, M. and Law, M. (2005). Mortality among prisoners: How accurate is the Australian National Death Index? Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 29, pp. 572-575. [RJ593]

Levy, M. and Butler, T.G. (2005). Prisoner Health. In Eyland, S. and O'Toole, S. (eds.) Corrections Criminology. Hawkins Press, Sydney. ISBN: 1 87606 717 9 [CH161]

Butler, T.G. (2004). Prisoner's Health. Australia's Health (chapter). Australian Institiute of Health and Welfare, Canberra. pp. 218-219. ISBN: 1 74024 382 x [CH162]

Butler, T.G. (2004). The health of the people of New South Wales: the report of the chief health officer. Population Health Division. NSW Dep Health, Sydney. [CH164] Paper

Butler, T.G., Kariminai, A., Levy, M. and Kaldor, J. (2004). Prisons are a risk for hepatitis C transmission. European Journal of Epidemiology, 19, pp. 1119-1122. [RJ656]

Butler, T.G., Kariminia, A., Levy, M. and Murphy, M. (2004). The health status of Australian (New South Wales) prisoners - results from the 2001 NSW Prisoners' Health Survey. Australia and New Zealand Medical Journal, 28, pp. 344-350. [RJ657]

Butler, T.G., Kariminia, A., Trevathan, L. and Bond, J. (2004). Injury surveillance in the New Soth Wales prison system. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 15, pp. 151-154. [RJ598]

Murray, N., LePage, E. and Butler, T.G. (2004). Hearing health of NSW prison inmates. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 28, pp. 537-541. [RJ594]

Quilty, S., Levy, M., Howard, K., Barratt, A. and Butler, T.G. (2004). Children of prisoners in Australia: A large and growing public health concern. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 28, pp. 339-343. [RJ597]

Butler, T.G. (2003). Young people in custody health survey. NSW Department of Juvenile Justice. Key Findings Report. ISBN: 0-7347-6518-5 [R227]

Butler, T.G. and Allnutt, S. (2003). Mental illness among New South Wales' prisoners. NSW Corrections Health Service. ISBN: 0-7347-3559-6 [R229] Paper

Butler, T.G. and Milner, L. (2003). The 2001 New South Wales Inmate Health Survey. Corrections Health Service., Sydney. ISBN: 0-7347-3560-x [R228]

Butler, T.G., Levy, M., Dolan, K. and Kaldor, J. (2003). Drug use and its corelates in an Australian prisoner population. Addiction Research, 11, pp. 89-101. [RJ658]

Guthrie, J., Butler, T.G. and Sefton, A. (2003). Measuring health service satisfaction: female inmates. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 16, pp. 173-179. [RJ659]

Osborne, M., Butler, T.G. and Barnard, P. (2003). Oral health status of prison inmates - New South Wales, Australia. Australian Journal of Dentistry, 38, pp. 34-39. [RJ660]

Butler, T.G. (2002). Australia's Health. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Chapter on Prisoner Health., Canberra. pp. 225-227. ISBN: 1-74024-191-6 [CH166]

Butler, T.G., Donovan, B., Levy, M. and Kaldor, J. (2002). Sex behind the prison walls. Australia and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 26, pp. 390-391. [RJ661]

Babidge, N., Buhrich, N. and Butler, T.G. (2001). Mortality amoung homeless people with schizophrenia in Sydeny, Australia: a 10 year follow-up. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 103, pp. 105-110. [RJ665]

Butler, T.G., Donovan, B., Fleming, J., Levy, M. and Kaldor, J. (2001). Childhood sexual abuse amoung Australian prisoners. Vereneology, 14, pp. 109-115. [RJ663]

Butler, T.G., Kaldor, J. and Donovan, B. (2001). Syphillis in New South Wales (Australia) Prisons. International Journal of STD & AIDS, 12, pp. 376-379. [RJ664]

Banwell, K., Butler, T.G. and Ferson, M. (2000). Introducing a New South Wales Vessel Inspection Porgram for Cruise Ships. NSW Public Health Bulletin. [RJ666]

Butler, T.G., Donovan, B., Taylor, J., Mindel, A., Cunningham, A. and Kaldor, J. (2000). Herpes simplex virus type 2 in Australian prisoners. International Journal of STD & AIDS, 11, pp. 743-747. [RJ662]

Egger, S. and Butler, T.G. (2000). The long-term factors associated with removal from parents amongst Inidgenous Prisoners in NSW. Australia and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 24, pp. 454-455. [RJ667]

Butler, T.G. and Levy, M. (1999). Mantoux positivity among prison inmates - New South Wales, 1996. Australia and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 23, pp. 185-188. [RJ668]

Butler, T.G., Spencer, J.D., Cui, J., Vickery, K. and Kaldor, J. (1999). Seroprevelance of markers for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and hepatitis G in male and female prisoners - NSW, 1996. Australia and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 23, pp. 377-384. [RJ669]

Butler, T.G. (1997). Preliminary findings of the NSW inmate health survey. NSW Coreectional Health Service. ISBN: 07313-40981 [R226]

Butler, T.G. and Ferson, M. (1997). Potential health effects of faecal pollution in ocean swimming pools and stormwater outlets in Eastern Sydney. Australia and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 21, pp. 567-571. [RJ671]

Butler, T.G., Dolan, K., Ferson, M., McGuiness, M., Brown, P. and Robertson, P. (1997). Hepatitis B and C in New South Wales prisons: prevelance and risk factors. Medical Journal of Australia, 166, pp. 127-130. [RJ670]

Butler, T.G. and Taylor, H. (1996). Hepatitis C behing the prison walls. The Hepatitis C Review. pp. 13. [UJ156]

Conaty, S., Christensen, A., Butler, T.G., McAnulty, J. and Golberg, H. (1996). Tuberculosis in NSW Prisons. NSW Public Health Bulletin. [RJ673]

Jenkins, R., Harvey, S., Butler, T.G. and Thomas, R.L. (1996). Minor psychiatric morbidity, its prevelance and outcome In a cohort ofcivil servants - a seven year follow-up study. Occupational Medicine, 46, pp. 209-215. [RJ672]

Harvey, S., Butler, T.G., Thomas, R.L. and Jenkins, R. (1992). Patterns of alcohol consumption in white collar workers: a cross sectional and longitudinal study. British Journal of Addiction, 87, pp. 91-102. [RJ674]

Jenkins, R., Harvey, S., Butler, T.G. and Thomas, R.L. (1992). A six-year longitudinal study of the occupational consequences of drinking over "safe limits" of alcohol. British Journal of Industrial Medicine, 49, pp. 369-374. [RJ675]

Butler, T.G., Levy, M. and Eckstein, G. Can prison health services address health inequalities?. [RJ574]