1. Improve opportunities for young men and women at all the state’s prisons to be involved in meaningful activities, skill development opportunities and education.

2. Ensure that the population of Wandoo is increased and that the benefits to the community are evaluated and maximised. In order to achieve this, the Department should: (a) improve the opportunities for young men at mainstream prisons and assist them to meet the Wandoo criteria; and (b) examine amendments to its security classification tool, to allow a more nuanced assessment of youth risk.

3. Implement specific strategies targeted at reducing recidivism amongst young female prisoners.

4. For interventions governed and justified by the ‘what works’ principles, ensure that these principles are properly followed for program design and allocation.

5. Increase the availability of treatment programs in the Aboriginal-dominated prisons of West Kimberley, Greenough, Eastern Goldfields and Roebourne.

6. Develop appropriate treatment programs for female prisoners, particularly those at high risk of substance abuse and violent offending, and improve access to treatment programs for female prisoners across the state.

7. Develop a comprehensive plan and timeline for the long-term evaluation of programs.

8. As a long term efficiency measure, the government and the Department ensure that adequate resourcing is prioritised for strategies aimed at reducing recidivism.

9. For both adult justice and youth justice, the Department publish clear recidivism targets with a corresponding action plan and clear methods for measuring effectiveness.

 

Read the Department’s response to recommendations.

Page last updated: September 26, 2014