ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on an inter-disciplinary programme of research which has integrated criminological, psychological, and public health perspectives to generate the evidence needed to identify opportunities to prevent the initiation, and reduce the continuation, of offending behaviour among children who have experienced maltreatment and related adversities. It illustrates how whole-of-population linked administrative data, augmented by in-depth, longitudinal cohort studies, can be used to provide a comprehensive understanding of maltreatment-offending pathways in a way that places the goal of prevention at the forefront. It is proposed that this can be achieved by the following three key stages of evidence generation: (1) Describe maltreatment-offending associations; (2) predict which children who experience maltreatment will subsequently offend; and (3) estimate the causal effect of child maltreatment on offending behaviour, including the investigation of potential mediators of this effect. This type of research has been and continues to be crucial in identifying key opportunities along these pathways to target preventive interventions. However, simply generating evidence will not be enough to influence the development of prevention and intervention strategies. Developmental and Life-Course criminologists also need to synthesise, translate, and evaluate evidence in order to inform and sustain preventative investments.
