NCJ Number
119117
Date Published
1988
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Data on sentences, parole, and recidivism in South Australia showed that the legislative changes in parole that took effect in December 1983 are generally preferred to the previous system, although they have not changed the recidivism rate significantly and appear to have expanded the number of individuals under some form of correctional control.
Abstract
The legislation represented a move toward determinate sentencing and gave the courts much greater responsibility for determining the actual terms of imprisonment. The changes also seemed to be a way of providing greater certainty of release dates to prisoners who had strongly complained about the unknown consequences of an application for parole release and the lack of reasons given for denial. The data analysis showed that sentencing practices have changed to increase the non-parole period by 50 percent as a proportion of the basic sentence. The inmate population has returned to the levels prior to 1983, while the number of supervised parolees has increased. The recidivism rate for all released prisoners is slightly lower than before, but the difference is not statistically significant. The risk of reconviction is high in the early months after release and low after 30 months free of reconviction. Finally, groups such as prisoners, parolees, correctional staff, and, to some extent, the judiciary, prefer the new system to the previous one. Nevertheless, the changes have been the subject of considerable debate in the media. Figures and 9 references.