6. More Prisons Don’t Mean Less Crime

 Locking up more people does not make communities safer.

If we are already locking up more people than anywhere else in the world and it isn’t working, then how can we possibly expect that tougher sentencing is going to help. There’s increasing evidence that prisons, as they are currently run can actually be criminogenic, meaning they can increase the risk of offending for some people rather than reduce crime.  

Most recent figures show that for Aboriginal prisoners 76% have been in prison before. This means that for a big majority prison has not helped with rehabilitation or staying out of trouble with the law.

Keeping communities safe and upholding the rights of offenders are often held up as opposing aims, particularly at election time. Listen to the media coverage and you will hear people arguing across the divide, often reduced to a ‘Tough on Crime’ vs ‘Soft on Crime’ approaches. The soft-on-crimers’, those who argue against locking up more First Nations people, (including most experts and most service providers and most of the Aboriginal community) are charged with caring more about the welfare of criminals than the wellbeing of the community.

‘Tough on crimers’ will reasonably ask, ‘What about the victims?’ 

‘Soft on crimers’ will reasonably ask, ‘What about the rights and wellbeing of the prisoners?’

The divide may help win elections for 'tough on crimers’ but it doesn’t contribute to better justice. Any good response to reducing Aboriginal incarceration rates understands that improving community safety and improving offender wellbeing are not opposing forces, they are tightly linked parts of the same story. 

Achieving low crime and low imprisonment are entirely possible for any democratic nation.   

There are many highly successful international examples, particularly in Europe, that show the benefits to community of supporting offender wellbeing.  

Norway has a world-leading justice systems that embraces a therapeutic model prioritising the health, welfare and community connection of those caught up in the justice system. The principle of’ normality’, that prisoners have the same rights as all other citizens, underwrites the system. Norway has a community who feel safe. Achieving these outcomes demanded a major shake-up of justice policy and legislation, with strong advocacy from criminologists and community over many years. 

The Indigenous population of Norway, the Sami, are not over-represented in their prisons. More to come on the strengths and possible limitations of Norway’s system later.

A good system acknowledges that prisoners and offenders remain part of the community. It helps offenders feel connected to community in positive ways, and helps community feel connected to its prisoners! 

The vast majority of prisoners in Australia have sentences less than 2-3 years. Over 95% of prisoners have sentences of 5 years or less. They will all be returning to communities rehabilitated or not.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-04/australia-broken-prison-system-norway-face-facts/103926876

Prisoners in Australia 2024

https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/prisoners-australia/latest-release#aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-prisoners

https://www.gallup.com/analytics/356996/gallup-global-safety-research-center.aspx

https://scholarlycommons.law.emory.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1177&context=eilr