For some time now, the Law Society has raised concerns about the high rates of prisoners in NSW prisons and the impact this has on the courts and justice system as a whole. NSW’s adult prison population has significantly increased in recent years (13,613 for the week ending 4 August 2019) which has led to a major expansion of NSW Corrective Services’ prison infrastructure. Victoria, South Australia, the ACT and Tasmania all have lower incarceration rates than NSW. And, like the rest of the nation, NSW has shameful rates of Indigenous incarceration.

As well as the substantial direct economic impact of the cost of incarceration ($182 per day per prisoner in NSW), there’s also the issue of what happens to inmates when they are released from prison. Despite a desire to start over, released inmates often find it difficult to gain employment and find accommodation and consequently end up homeless or back in prison. In NSW, we have  the second highest rate in the nation of inmates returning to prison within two years of release.

With this in mind, it was disappointing to hear the NSW Minister for Counter Terrorism & Corrective Services, Anthony Roberts, claim last week that, “We have one of the best records not just in the nation but in the world when it comes to incarceration as well as reducing reoffending and that will continue.”

Rather than making statements like this, it would be more productive for the NSW Government to focus on initiatives aimed at reducing the incarceration and recidivism rate by:

• investing in early intervention strategies
• providing better resources for community-based health treatment such as drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres
• expanding education and training programs in correctional centres
• introducing further reforms to better enable courts to impose alternatives to full time imprisonment
• expanding the Drug Court to Dubbo along with investing in more residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities.

On another note, if you ever need to be reminded of the depth of creative talent within the legal profession, the Law Society’s annual Just Art exhibition, which opens to the public tomorrow, is well worth a visit.

I encourage you to come and see the exhibition and promote it through your networks. The exhibition is on level two of 170 Phillip Street and runs until Friday 23 August 2019. If one of the artworks takes your fancy, buy it. Not only are you supporting creativity within our profession, you are donating to Our Watch and helping them change the story on domestic and family violence.

Elizabeth Espinosa, Law Society President

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