NCJ Number
177680
Date Published
1999
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Deaths of offenders on parole and in other kinds of community-based corrections in Australia were examined, using data from an earlier study in Victoria and responses to letters to corrections agencies in other jurisdictions.
Abstract
The research in Victoria focused on suicide rather than on offender deaths in general. However, its qualitative and quantitative analyses revealed a death rate of 5.6 per 1,000 offenders in community corrections, compared to a rate of 2.6 per 1,000 inmates. The rate for Aboriginal offenders in community corrections was 5.3; for non-Aboriginal offenders it was 5.7. The rate was 15.1 per 1,000 for parolees, 10.0 per 1,000 for probationers, and 2.2 per 1,000 for offenders serving community service orders. The 198 deaths in community corrections between 1995 and 1998 included 62 deaths from drugs or alcohol and 29 reported suicides. Community corrections officers revealed their deep concern about their responsibilities with respect to duty of care, a desire for specific training on the role and functions of the coroner's court, dissatisfaction with support services for community corrections clients, and extreme distress when a client committed suicide. The limited numbers of responses to letters to all other Australian and New Zealand correctional authorities indicated that death rates in community corrections were higher than would be expected for offenders in prison. Findings suggested the desirability of a definitive national database that would make possible a discussion of the appropriate role of corrections agencies in relation to this issue. Figures, tables, and 3 references