NCJ Number
106455
Journal
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology Volume: 20 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1987) Pages: 16-32
Date Published
1987
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This overview of the prison overcrowding issue in Australia addresses prison capacity measures, the practical and political effects of overcrowding, and alternative approaches to reduce crowding.
Abstract
The author compares the measures of rated versus operating capacity, concluding that the latter is most significant. The pressure on occupancy rates in Australia has increased markedly in the last 7 years to the point where the 1986 rate was 118.8 percent. The paper estimates that the drift upward will continue for many years. A discussion of factors affecting this increase concludes that the prison overcrowding debate does not really impinge on the crime control debate. Four effects of overcrowding are examined: burgeoning costs of corrections; short-term administrative or political responses; adverse reactions to these responses by media, the public, and other criminal justice agencies; and further administrative and political responses calculated to exacerbate rather than alleviate the problem. Front-end mechanisms to reduce overcrowding are discussed, particularly shorter sentences and community-based dispositions. A comparison of two mainland States, Victoria and South Australia, illustrates the positive impact of a community-based appraoch on overcrowding. Threats to reform from the judiciary and politicians are explored. 3 tables, 2 figures, and approximately 50 references.