Repeat offenders are responsible for a large proportion of crime in NSW; and those returning to prison make up more than half of the prison population. The costs of reoffending to society and the criminal justice system are therefore clear. Focusing on adult reoffending, this paper seeks to address these four key questions: (1) Are...

This paper argues that extending formal police cautioning to include first-time, less serious adult-onset offenders is a cost-effective strategy that would enable scarce criminal justice resources to be redirected to provide evidence-based interventions for more serious and prolific offenders who present an ongoing risk of offending.

The issues in this paper are not new either to Corrections Victoria or to the other agencies involved, and many are, to varying degrees, already being addressed.

This study finds evidence that parole is effective in reducing the risk of re-offending in Australia. Executive summary The current study sought to address four questions of importance to correctional policy: 1. Does unconditional release increase the risk, speed or seriousness of further offending compared with conditional release? 2. Does unconditional release increase the likelihood...

This is the first study to evaluate the effectiveness of parole supervision in Australia. Foreword Although more than 12,000 offenders are on parole at any given time, little is known about the effectiveness of parole supervision in reducing reoffending. The few studies that have been conducted involve samples of parolees released from prison in other...