Since 2011 the Indigenous Australians with Mental Health Disorder and Cognitive Disability (IAMHDCH) Project, based at the University of New South Wales, has been investigating the life course pathways of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with mental and cognitive disability in contact with the criminal justice and human service systems. Evidence is shown of Indigenous people with complex needs cycling through the community and criminal justice system spaces, and clear signs that this commences at a very young age. It is suggested that these trajectories, which leave this group more disadvantaged, are established through the practice and processes of community and criminal justice system organisations and institutions. With improved understanding of these trajectories, key points for positive and supportive interventions can now be identified.