PRISONER REHABILITATION

Mr SIBBONS (Mitchell) (14:43): My question is to the Minister for Correctional Services.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr SIBBONS: Can the minister inform the house of how offenders rehabilitation programs are helping reduce crime and the number of people returning to prison?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:43): It was good yesterday; it was nice and quiet in here. When someone is released from a prison in South Australia, the best result obviously for our community is that they never reoffend and that they go on to make a meaningful contribution to our community.

Last financial year we invested a record $32.4 million into rehabilitation programs for offenders in our state's prisons as well as for those under supervision in the community. This represents a 55 per cent funding increase since we first came into government. This investment and the hard work of people involved in delivering the programs is reflected in our return-to-prison rates. South Australia has the lowest return-to-prison rate in the nation, and it has been that way for four years in a row. This is the ultimate measure of our corrections system, and I acknowledge the work of former ministers Zollo and Koutsantonis for their work in getting us to this point. Most importantly, I also acknowledge the staff of the Department for Correctional Services, who perform one of the most publicly unseen yet most important roles in keeping the community safe. These results belong to them and are testament to their hard work and dedication in rehabilitating offenders and helping to keep our community safe.

Some of the programs include the Violence Prevention Program, which has operated since 2005 and aims to help prisoners with a history of violence better understand the impact of their crimes on their victims, how to deal with their anger in ways that are nonviolent and the importance of healthy relationships in their lives. The Making Changes program targets general offending behaviour. It has only been in operation since 2010 and has already helped more than 460 prisoners through cognitive behavioural therapy.

Ms Chapman: She is doing a better job than you, Tom.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: She is.

Ms Chapman: She hasn't had any escapes.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Well, if you had listened—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: —instead of kept talking, if you had listened—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: —I paid tribute.

Ms Chapman: I am saying you are improving, Jennifer. I am saying you are improving.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: No, it would be really good if you said nothing in question time other than asked questions. The Sexual Behaviour Clinic has been addressing the sexual offending behaviours of more than 200 prisoners, and the department is now trialling an innovative new version of the program that is tailored for people with cognitive disabilities at the Mount Gambier Prison. I look forward to informing the house about further evaluations of this program in the future. The Prisoner Reintegration Employment Opportunity Program, a great partnership between the Port Augusta Prison and BHP Billiton—

Ms Chapman: Jennifer for premier would be good. Jennifer for premier.

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Bragg! Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: She can't help herself, Madam Speaker. It was very quiet yesterday.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: She wasn't here yesterday; it was very quiet.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: The Sierra Program is a six-month intensive residential program that targets young offenders aged 18 to 23 and focuses on self-discipline, education, fitness and teamwork. I understand the shadow minister for corrections, along with the shadow attorney-general and the member for Stuart, recently met with some of the prisoners involved in the Sierra Program at Port Augusta. I hope they were as encouraged as I was by the attitudes of these young men taking part and their plans for a better future upon release.