Breaking the Prison-Reoffending Cycle: A Desistance From Crime Approach

Half of Australia's 41,000 prisoners return to the $6B prison sector within two years of release. Building on recent impactful work with Corrective Services NSW, this project aims to generate a paradigm shift in rehabilitative practice within Australia's largest jurisdiction, through systematic integration of how and why people stop offending. Expected outcomes include a nationally significant evidence base on how prisons impact reoffending, bespoke assisted desistance action plans for 18 NSW prisons (impacting 8000 prisoners), and reduced rates of assaults linked to more timely progression through to custody. Key benefits include safer communities, reduced spending, and a new era of evidence-informed institutional reflective practice.