Hon Anne Tolley
Minister of Corrections

16 May 2013

Reducing reoffending, keeping communities safe

Budget 2013 supports the Government’s target of further reducing reoffending, leading to fewer victims of crime, and the redesign of electronically monitored bail, Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says.

Some $10 million in operating funding over two years is being made available from the Justice Sector Fund to establish a new post-release service for offenders, at a time when they are at a high risk of returning to crime.

“We know that many prisoners struggle to access social services and support agencies on release,” Mrs Tolley says. “If support isn’t available to help them readjust and reintegrate into the community, they can often turn back to crime.”

The $10 million will be used to implement a new service where a dedicated provider will help offenders complete basic reintegration tasks on release, quickly connect them with relevant agencies, and ensure they attend appointments, such as with probation.

It will be targeted at offenders serving a sentence of less than two years - a third of whom are under 25 years old.

“We are determined to reach our Better Public Service target of a 25 per cent reduction in reoffending by 2017, which will result in 18,500 fewer victims of crime every year,” Mrs Tolley says.

“Corrections has already delivered an 8.9 per cent reduction in reoffending, meaning 1,643 fewer repeat offenders and over 6,500 fewer victims of crime each year.

“This new initiative provides Corrections with another important tool to reach our lower crime target, alongside the huge increases in drug and alcohol programmes, and education and skills training, which were delivered with $65 million of reprioritised funding in Budget 2012.”

Budget 2013 also provides $500,000 in operating funding in 2013/14 from the Justice Sector Fund to enable Corrections to redesign the electronically monitored bail service. This will ensure it is financially viable and has potential for expansion as it transitions from Police.

“The National-led Government is keeping communities safe and reducing crime, and Budget 2013 ensures we are taking an even more effective approach to reducing reoffending,” Mrs Tolley says.

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