12 July 2023
Should We Be Tougher On Youth Crime?
In this article, Mia Schlicht contextualises and disseminates the findings of the IPA’s research into Australia’s level of incarceration, conducted as part of IPA’s Legal Rights Program. The IPA’s Legal Rights Program aims to research various government actions and policies and how they impact the principles of a free society, including the rule of law, our civil and political rights,
14 May 2018
Making Community Corrections Work
This paper draws on data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Productivity Commission, and a range of studies conducted into the effectiveness of community corrections. It finds that: Community corrections is growing rapidly. The national community corrections population has grown by 18.6 percent in the last two years, and 30.2 percent since 2007. (Figure 1, Table 2) The community
14 May 2018
Offenders In Community Service Should Be Able To Do Paid Work As Part Of Their Sentences
“Community corrections is growing rapidly, and we need to act now to make it more effective. One way to do this is to get community-based offenders into more meaningful work by permitting businesses to offer community service opportunities,” said Andrew Bushnell, Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs. The latest report from the IPA’s Criminal Justice Project, Making Community
22 September 2017
Equal Justice At Risk If Judges Consider Aboriginality In Sentencing
During the past 10 years, incarceration in Australia has risen 40 per cent. A third of this is the result of more Indigenous Australians being jailed. Indigenous Australians are now jailed at a rate more than 12 times that of non-Indigenous Australians. The Australian Law Reform Commission is conducting an inquiry into this disproportionate rate of incarceration and how the criminal justice
8 August 2017
The Expensive Problem With Our Prisons: Why Spending More Doesn’t Make Us Feel Safer
Australia spends more on criminal justice than most other developed countries, but gets worse results. In world terms, we spend a lot on prisons and police but despite this, Australians consistently report feeling less safe than people in similar countries. These are the findings of the latest report for the Institute of Public Affairs Criminal Justice Project, and they underline the
8 August 2017
Australia’s Criminal Justice Costs: An International Comparison
Incarceration in Australia is growing rapidly. The 2016 adult incarceration rate was 208 per 100,000 adults, up 28 percent from 2006. There are now more than 36,000 prisoners, up 39 percent from a decade ago. The Institute of Public Affairs Criminal Justice Project has investigated the causes of this increase and policy ideas for rationalising the use of prisons in
8 August 2017
IPA Research Finds Australia Falling Behind World On Criminal Justice Costs And Results
“Australians are spending more on criminal justice and getting worse results than most comparable countries, underlining the need for criminal justice reform across the country,” said Andrew Bushnell, Research Fellow at the free market think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs. Today the IPA released a new report Australia’s Criminal Justice Costs: An International Comparison. Authored by Research Fellow Andrew
28 July 2017
NSW Reforms Point Way To Reducing High Rate Of Indigenous Incarceration
A report from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research shows the incarceration of indigenous Australians in that state has increased by 25 per cent since 2013. The report attributes this rise to more indigenous people being charged with, and imprisoned for, stalking and intimidation offences, defendants spending more time on remand and more breaches of good behaviour bonds and
9 June 2017
Lionel Messi Is A White-Collar Criminal
Lionel Messi is in Melbourne with his Argentinian teammates to play Brazil at the MCG tonight. But should he actually be locked up in a Spanish jail? Messi was convicted last year of evading millions of euros in taxes. His appeal was denied last month and his sentence of 21 months in prison and a €2 million fine was upheld.
16 May 2017
Changes Could Reduce Reoffending For Low-Risk Criminals
The NSW government continues to lead the way on innovative criminal justice policy. Having last year committed $3.8 billion to new and improved prisons, the government is now pivoting to reforms designed to reduce the need for further prison spending over the longer-term, by lowering reoffending and improving community safety. The government last week announced a package of reforms, including
