Tasmanian prisoners are increasingly reoffending upon release and finding themselves back behind bars, which Labor says is evidence the state government's policies are hindering the rehabilitation of convicted criminals.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
And while Premier Peter Gutwein has acknowledged that running a prison system is "challenging", he said the Opposition was "whingeing".
The Productivity Commission's annual Report on Government Services shows that 57 per cent of Tasmanian prisoners are thrown in jail again within two years of their release.
IN OTHER NEWS:
It revealed that in 2019-20, the state's prisoners spent more time in their cells than their interstate counterparts, at 17 hours a day, perhaps explained by the fact that opportunities to participate in education and training courses were so few.
Just 19.4 per cent of eligible prisoners engaged in accredited education and training programs - the second fewest in the nation.
Labor corrections spokeswoman Ella Haddad said it was evident the government wasn't "doing the hard work required to make sure that people have an opportunity to rehabilitate their lives".
"This government is failing to provide the services that are needed to allow people to truly rehabilitate and not reoffend when they're released from prison," she said.
"There's no question that people need to be held responsible for crimes that they commit.
"But that needs to go hand in hand with real opportunities to rehabilitate your life, to address issues of addiction, to address issues of mental health, to address issues of literacy ... to be more likely to be able to find a house, find a job and reconnect with family when you're released from prison - those things together will reduce crime in our community."
Last financial year, there was an average of 664 people in custody in Tasmania. It costs more than $120,000 a year to keep a prisoner in jail here.
This government is failing to provide the services that are needed to allow people to truly rehabilitate and not reoffend when they're released from prison.
- Ella Haddad, Opposition corrections spokeswoman
"That money could be put to better use if people were given true opportunities to rehabilitate while they're serving their time to prevent them from reoffending when they're released from prison," Ms Haddad said.
According to Greens leader Cassy O'Connor, the government "have been nothing short of disastrous for justice in Tasmania", while Prisoners Legal Service chair Greg Barns, SC, told ABC Radio yesterday that governments across Australia had "an addiction to law and order policies", which he said stymied the development of "sensible" justice reforms.
Mr Gutwein said smaller jurisdictions always had higher costs for delivering services.
"In terms of our investment [in prisons and corrections], it's significant," he said. "This budget alone, I think, carries around $200 million worth of capital investment as well as further ongoing investment into our prison systems and a focus on rehabilitation."
"But it is challenging. We'll look at that report and ... the departments will provide us with advice.
"Labor whingeing doesn't surprise me at all."
Sign up to one of our newsletters: