Concern over surging Imprisonment Rates
Queensland may soon be facing the highest imprisonment rate of any
jurisdiction in Australia apart from the Northern Territory if current=20
trends continue, according to an independent CJC assessment released
today.
CJC Chairperson Frank Clair said that the CJC had drawn attention to the
rapid growth in the prison population in the previous issue of The
Criminal Justice System Monitor, released in June 1997.
Mr Clair said this trend has continued and announced that the CJC will
give priority to conducting research on the causes of the rapid growth
in the prison population and investigating strategies for alleviating
the strain on the criminal justice system.
Mr Clair's announcement followed the publication of the third volume of
the CJC's Criminal Justice System Monitor.
"The prison system in Queensland was operating at approximately 132 per
cent capacity in March this year, despite the opening of the Woodford
prison one year earlier," Mr Clair said.
"The imprisonment rate is now substantially higher than the national
average, and we need to objectively study the factors which have caused
this increase."
CJC Research Director, Dr David Brereton, said the rapid increase in the
imprisonment rate could not simply be attributed to tougher law and
order policies impacting on sentencing practices.
"The issues are far more complex than this," Dr Brereton said.=20
"The data available to the CJC suggest that there has been some change
in the sentencing practices of the courts, but the major factor seems to
be an increase in the volume of cases being processed through the
courts.
"Further research clearly needs to be conducted to determine all of the
factors which have contributed to this trend.
"We need to examine why, when the crime rate has been relatively stable
in recent years, the number of sentenced offenders admitted to prison
grew by 98 per cent between 1993 and 1997."
Mr Clair said the research project would require a multi-agency
approach, something the CJC, with its statutory responsibility for
monitoring the performance and resources of Queensland's criminal
justice system, was ideally placed to undertake.
"The CJC has an important role under its legislation to monitor the
criminal justice system and bring to the attention of the public and
policy makers any significant problems with the system," Mr Clair said.
Key findings from Volume 3:
Major contributing factors to the increase in the prison
population have been a large increase in the number of cases processed
through the higher courts and a marked rise in the number of
=91enforcement matters' in the Magistrates Court (such as breaches of
probation, community service, or domestic violence orders).
The Magistrates and District Courts appear to be making more use
of imprisonment as a sentencing option, although sentence lengths do not
seem to have increased.
The number of appearances in the higher courts increased by 41
per cent between 1992=9693 and 1996=9697, and the number of appearances
resulting in a prison sentence increased by 58 per cent.
Over the last several years, there has been a downward trend in
escapes from prison custody and recorded assaults by prisoners. However,
deaths in custody are increasing.
It has become more difficult for prisoners to obtain early
release, especially since the issuing of new early release guidelines in
mid-1997 and the replacement of the membership of the Queensland
Community Corrections Board. This has also contributed to the pressure
on the prison population.
There continues to be broad compliance with the seven-day limit
on watchhouse stays set by the Police Minister and there have been few
problems with watchhouse overcrowding.
There has been an improvement in funding of the Office of
Director of Public Prosecutions, but the legal aid system is under
funding pressure despite substantial additional State Government
funding.
Recorded personal and property crime rates in Queensland have
been fairly stable in recent years with rates around the national
average.
The report will be available on the CJC's web site for a limited time
=97 www.cjc.qld.gov.au