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https://theconversation.com/first-nations-rehabilitation-programs-arent-keeping-people-out-of-prison-heres-what-would-help-278783>
"There are unprecedented numbers of First Nations people in prisons. In
Australia, 37% of adults and 60% of young people aged 10-17 behind bars are
First Nations, despite making up 3.4% and 6.2% of the Australian population
respectively.
But what happens to people when they return to the community? There were 19,898
people released from Australian prisons between October and December 2025. More
than half of them will return to prison, most within two years.
In 2025, 60% of people in prison had been previously imprisoned. For First
Nations people, the figure is 78%.
These statistics demonstrate that prisons are not living up to their ideals of
rehabilitation and reintegration, especially in relation to First Nations
people. In fact, prisons are highly criminogenic – that is, making prisoners
very likely to be reimprisoned.
Under the
Closing The Gap targets, each state and territory must have
appropriate support and rehabilitation programs in place to help former
detainees once they are back in the community and reduce reoffending.
But a recent audit programs in New South Wales found they had “little to no
impact” on First Nations reoffending rates. It identified that the few
initiatives on offer amounted to “business as usual” and didn’t address
systemic and structural issues in prisons that undermined these programs.
But the evidence shows there are programs making a meaningful difference.
Here’s what we should do instead."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
