Prisoner Numbers

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:32): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Correctional Services questions with regard to prison capacity.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I am advised that the total number of prisoners in the custody of the Department for Correctional Services as of 1 June was 3,010. According to advice that the minister gave the estimates committee of the other place, South Australia's total prison capacity as at 30 June 2016 was 2,861. Even with the additional surge capacity of 114, South Australian prisons are operating over capacity. My questions to the minister are:

1. How long have South Australian prisons been operating over capacity?

2. Where are over-capacity inmates incarcerated when all of South Australia's prisons and the surge capacity are full?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:33): I thank the honourable member for his question, because it is an important one. Mr President, I have made no secret of the fact that our prison system is under strain. I have made a number of remarks, both within this place and also on the public record in other forums, that the Department for Correctional Services is working in a difficult environment with a large amount of pressure on the number of beds.

What I can advise the chamber in respect of the Hon. Mr Wade's question is that all prisoners are able to be accounted for through a range of mechanisms that exist within the Department for Correctional Services, even when the number of prisoners exceeds the number of beds. Surge beds is just one example of doing that. I have not received any advice from the Department of Correctional Services in recent days or weeks about any prisoners not being able to be accommodated within correctional services facilities. The department, by and large, I think is doing a good job in dealing with prison capacity issues.

Of course, though, the government does need to have a policy response regarding the pressure that exists on the prison system. We have exactly that. I can go into a bit of detail. There is substantial investment that has been made on behalf of the state government that will see the number of projected approved beds increase over the life of the government. The projected approved beds that will be in place as at 30 June 2017 is 3,131—that figure speaks to builds that the department is currently undertaking—and 3,243 by 30 June 2018, and again that speaks to builds that the government is already committed to.

On top of that there is a strategy to deal with the pressure in our prison system. In the longer term we are trying to look at the way we can reduce the rate of reoffending within the community. Now there is a whole range of policy benefits that the community will be the beneficiaries of if we reduce the rate of reoffending. I have spoken about a number of them in the past. Of course, it will mean we have a safer community by virtue of the fact that there will be fewer crimes being committed and fewer victims.

One other benefit, of course, is the fact that it will reduce the strain on our prison system. If we can slow down the rate of reoffending or if we can reduce the rate of reoffending then, of course, that will mean we have fewer prisoners coming into the prison system, which is going to put less strain on bed capacity issues. The government does not hide away or seek to shirk the challenge that exists in regard to demand on prison beds within our prison system. We have a strategy in place to deal with those demands in the short, medium and long term, and we will continue to work through these challenges as best we possibly can.