A performance audit of the Department of Justice’s management of growing prisoner numbers across the State has determined it is relying heavily on temporary measures to cope.
In his report, Managing Growth in the NSW Prison Population, Acting Auditor-General, Ian Goodwin found that such temporary measures created risks to safety and impacted on prisoner support services.
“Sustained reliance on temporary responses, including doubling and tripling up the number of beds in cells, reopening closed facilities and using ageing facilities, is inefficient and creates risks to safety,” Mr Goodwin said.
“From 2012 to 2018, the prison population in NSW grew by nearly 40 per cent from 9,602 to 13,630 inmates. The Department projects growth to continue over the short and longer-term.”
He said that in order to plan for longer-term needs, the Department had prepared a 20-year infrastructure strategy.
“The strategy sets out challenges, priorities and planned actions to meet projected capacity needs, but it has yet to be funded,” Mr Goodwin said.
“One of the key challenges identified is overcoming demand for prison beds within the greater Sydney area, where the Department projects a shortfall in capacity from 2022.”
At the time of his audit, the NSW Department of Justice (DOJ) was responsible for delivering custodial corrections services in NSW through its Corrective Services NSW Division.
From 1 July these functions will be taken over by the Department of Family and Community Services and Justice.
The Acting Auditor-General’s 44-page report can be accessed at this PS News link.
