New data shows almost half of Tasmania's inmates re-offend and land themselves back for another stint at Risdon Prison within two years.

Advocates say the state's housing crisis is to blame - as a lack of affordable housing, along with high rental prices, are putting pressure on prisoner's ability to be fully rehabilitated. The issue of rehabilitation is a tricky one - depending on who you ask, everyone seems to have a differing opinion on the subject.

Netflix docu-drama When They See Us, which chronicled the arrest, conviction, jail time and release of the famous Central Park Five, is a great example of the mitigating factors that could lead someone to re-offend.

The Central Park Five are five men who were convicted of the bashing of a jogger in Central Park in the '90s but, thanks to a confession and DNA evidence, were found to be innocent of the crime. Despite this, they spent significant years in prison convicted for the crime - and were branded as offenders on their release until their conviction was vacated years later.

The four-part series shows the discrimination the boys-turned-men faced while they were in prison and did a great job at shining a spotlight on what happens in prison. There are a lot of mitigating factors that might lead someone down the path to re-offend - housing being just another small part in this complex puzzle.

While prisoners play a complex role in society and are a burden on taxpayer resources - it's important to note that their ability to be rehabilitated does in fact rely on the services available to them on their release.

Those services also include housing - access to affordable housing is key, because the alternative is these people end up on the streets.

Once there, the data shows the pathway, and it's a road that leads straight back down to Risdon, which leads to further drain on taxpayers' money and does nothing for those within its walls.

There are many layers to the housing crisis and this data shows that its effects are far-reaching.