- There was a substantial decline in the recidivism rate for prisoners released after the 2008/09 financial year (Read more).
- It is very difficult to completely explain this decline. One contributing factor is the increase in early release order (ERO) denials from 2009 (Read more).
- Risk factors most important in predicting recidivism in Western Australia include:
- Age;
- Number of prior prison admissions;
- Gender;
- Aboriginal status;
- Security rating;
- Educational attainment;
- Substance use risk rating;
- Sex offender risk rating; and
- Treatment program completion
(Read more)
- Prisons with identified deficiencies in service provision have higher recidivism rates.
- Over half of 18 to 19 year olds returned to prison within two years, with nearly 90 per cent returning to corrective services within two years (Read more).
- Female prisoners demonstrated a low and declining recidivism rate (Read more).
- Poorly targeted programs have the potential to be harmful.
- There has been a substantial improvement in program provision in recent years; however, areas of improvement still exist.
- There is a lack of evidence supporting the effectiveness of Departmental treatment programs (Read more) .