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AnonTechie [soylentnews.org] writes:

Does sending more people to prison make us safer ?

New South Wales imprisonment rates have skyrocketed to an unprecedented high in the last 12 months despite a drop in crime rates. In 2013, there were 9,900 prisoners across the state — this year there are 11,000 and this rate of increase is likely to continue. Contrary to what many fear, crime is not rising and is not out of control. In fact the current government pursued a sound policy over its first two years to reduce the imprisonment rate. This resulted in fewer people in, and returning to, prison; fewer people returning to crime after leaving prison, and reduced spending. Most significantly, it did not result in a rise in crime. So, if crime isn't rising, why such growth in prisoner numbers? The New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics in a preliminary analysis, suggests that policing and sentencing practices have changed. Police are arresting and convicting more people, and more offenses are now attracting a prison sentence. The reality is that the majority of people imprisoned haven't committed high-end crimes. They are disproportionately poor. They are disproportionately Indigenous. And they are disproportionately people with mental illness and cognitive impairment, many with low IQs.

http://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/social-affairs/do es-sending-more-people-prison-make-us-safer [unsw.edu.au]

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