Reducing reoffending: 10% by 2020

Consultation has concluded

About


This engagement has closed for comment. Read about the outcomes here.

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We want to hear your ideas and suggestions on how you think we can reduce reoffending by 10% by 2020.

Reducing Reoffending strategy overview

The State Government’s public safety and community protection focus has contributed to escalating demand on custodial correctional services over the past decade.

Since 2006, there has been growth in prisoner numbers nationwide. South Australia has experienced a 86.5% increase in prisoner numbers over this period. The Northern Territory is the only jurisdiction to experience faster growth.

Repeat offenders are responsible for a

About


This engagement has closed for comment. Read about the outcomes here.

---------------------------

We want to hear your ideas and suggestions on how you think we can reduce reoffending by 10% by 2020.

Reducing Reoffending strategy overview

The State Government’s public safety and community protection focus has contributed to escalating demand on custodial correctional services over the past decade.

Since 2006, there has been growth in prisoner numbers nationwide. South Australia has experienced a 86.5% increase in prisoner numbers over this period. The Northern Territory is the only jurisdiction to experience faster growth.

Repeat offenders are responsible for a large proportion of SA crime with nearly three quarters of those currently in custody having experienced a previous period of incarceration.

This imposes high social costs to the community and places a substantial burden on the broader criminal justice system. Additionally, like many jurisdictions across the nation, South Australia sees a significant overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system.

The Government's ‘Reducing Reoffending’ target will seek to reduce reoffending by 10% by 2020 (10 by 20) (PDF, 590KB).

The strategy

A reduction in the rate of reoffending in South Australia will create a safer community with less victims, less crime, and less money spent by taxpayers on prisons.

Learn more about the Strategy here (PDF, 590KB).

Why is the strategy important?

International evidence is proving that high rates of incarceration do not work and that there are better ways to punish and reintegrate people back into society following periods of incarceration.

It costs South Australians $70,000 - $100,000 per year, for each high security prisoner. All but a very small number of those currently in prison will one day return to the community, a community in which we all live. We need to do a better job of ensuring that when they do, they choose a positive path and don't reoffend.

Currently, nearly half of those that leave our prisons will return to Correctional Services.

We need to reduce this rate in the interest of community safety.

How do we make this happen?

At the core of the Government's ‘Reducing Reoffending’ strategy is the establishment of a Strategic Policy Panel.

The Panel will focus on how to rehabilitate inmates instead of merely locking them up. It will be the job of the panel to drive change, promote innovation. Download the Terms of Reference (PDF, 43KB).

The panel will consult and advise on the programs and policies that will deliver the target, and an accompanying public education and communication campaign to raise awareness of the public value of pursuing the strategy.

How can your input influence the strategy?

This 10 by 20 space provides you with an opportunity to provide feedback directly to the Panel - you can provide your suggestions on how we meet our reoffending target in two ways:

  1. You can join the online discussion and provide your ideas and suggestions on how we can meet the target - this feedback will be provided to the Panel.
  2. You can also send in your ideas and suggestions to the Department for Correctional Services via email: 10by20sa@sa.gov.au.

Stay up to date with the 10 by 20 latest news by following us on Twitter @10by20SA and YouTube (coming soon).

Want to know more?

Consultation has concluded

  • Outcome

    On 11 August 2016, the State Government unveiled an ambitious strategy to improve community safety and address reoffending.

    Reducing Reoffending: 10% by 2020 aims to achieve a 10% reduction in the number of people who return to the correctional system by 2020.

    The Strategic Policy Panel were tasked to investigate best practice in correctional services policy and practice and to identify strategies that cold impact and help reduce rates of reoffending promoting rehabilitation and reintegration outcomes.

    Following four months of work, the Strategic Policy Panel has provided to the State Government with 36 recommendations that focus on achieving the targeted reduction in reoffending by 2020.

    The recommendations provide a holistic response to reoffending and focus on improving community safety.

    The report contains six overarching strategies which outline a whole-of-system change to approaching the management of offenders.

    The six strategies are:

    1. Successful return to the community with individual case management plans for all offenders from system entry to six months after release.
    2. Employment and industry where partnerships are to be developed between the Department for Correctional Services (DCS) and the local business sector to improve post custody employment opportunities.
    3. Prioritising target cohorts to ensure programs are tailored to women, those on short sentences those on remand and those within the community to achieve best results.
    4. A strategy for Aboriginal offenders to ensure targeted and culturally appropriate services and programs.
    5. An agency response that allows for internal change with the culture, resources, capabilities and structure required to achieve the target.
    6. Partnerships and collaboration with other government agencies and the public and to ensure the successful delivery of programs and services.

    With 46% of those that leave prison return to the system within two years, the successful transition from prison back into the community is of paramount importance

    The State Government will respond to the strategy in the first half of 2017 with an action plan that outlines the implementation of recommendations that the government decides to act on.

    A copy of the report is available here (PDF 4.7MB).

    Further information

    Warren Mundine's Op-ed (PDF 30 KB)

    News release (PDF 80KB)

  • Updates

    South Australian government releases the Reducing Reoffending: 10% by 2020 Strategic Policy Panel Report

    On 11 August 2016, the State Government unveiled an ambitious strategy to improve community safety and address reoffending.

    Reducing Reoffending: 10% by 2020 aims to achieve a 10% reduction in the number of people who return to the correctional system by 2020.

    The Strategic Policy Panel were tasked to investigate best practice in correctional services policy and practice and to identify strategies that cold impact and help reduce rates of reoffending promoting rehabilitation and reintegration outcomes.

    READ MORE