The Wire

Every year in Australia, thousands of people are released from prison back into the community. Their experiences have been highlighted in two recent reports. A national study by the Australian Institute of Criminology has found one in four prisoners will be reconvicted within three months of being released from prison. At the same time the Australian Journal of Medicine reports that in NSW, suicide and drug overdoses are frequent causes of death in the period immediately following release from prison. Both reports encourage a stronger focus on the transfer of services and care from the prison to the community.