A couple of days ago I blogged some trends from the Briefing to Incoming Minister for Corrections which included:
- a growing proportion of the prisoner population who have histories of extensive methamphetamine use – associated with significant and lasting impacts on mental and emotional function, including anger control
- Levels of violence in the community - the number of violence victimisations recorded by Police has increased steadily over the last five years.
The latest prisoner stats have ben released and show:
A rapidly falling prison population could be the result of a number of factors: fewer admissions, more releases, shorter sentences...whatever, the net number is dropping and it's not the result of more community sentencing which is also decreasing.
Given the widening gap between forecast and actual numbers a significant policy change must be in play.
Andrew Little promised to reduce the prison population and it was an electon year afterall.
The blue line is odd in another way too inasmuchas I do not know whether to read it as good or bad.
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