Victoria’s prison population grew by almost 30 per cent in the 5 years from July 2014.
The number of people in Victorian prisons increased from 6226 in June 2014 to more than 8000 in June 2019.
Prisoner numbers continued to increase until March 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions came into effect in Victoria.
Corrections Victoria reported a sharp decrease starting in March and continuing to July of this year.
In July, the total number of prisoners was just more than 7000.
These data continue a 40-year trend starting in 1977, when fewer than 1,500 Victorians were in prison.
The increase in incarcerated Victorians led the Napthine Government in 2013 to announce the construction of Ravenhall Correctional Centre in Melbourne’s West.
The private facility finished construction in late 2017 and by 2019 reached its original capacity of 1200 people.
During the same period, other Melbourne prisons saw a small decrease in their populations, only to reach pre-2017 levels within a few months.
More Victorians, More Prisoners?
Although Victoria’s population has continued to grow in recent years, population growth alone does not account for the increase of Victorians in prison.
According to the Sentencing Advisory Council, more of Victoria was in prison in 2019 than at any time since 1895.
At current levels, Victoria’s imprisonment rate falls short of Australia’s national average of 172 per 100,000 people.
However, the state’s rate continues to climb from its 1977 low of just 38 per 100,000 and the national average does not reflect the outliers in the data; the Northern Territory and Western Australia, at more than 800 and 300 prisoners per 100,000 people respectively.
Who is going to Prison?
More Victorians are in prison, and there are clear trends reflecting who these Victorians are.
In July of 2014, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders made up less than 8 per cent of Victorian prisoners, but more than 10 per cent in July 2020.
In Victoria, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders make up less than 1 per cent of the population.
During the same period, the percentage of prisoners who were unsentenced almost doubled, reaching almost 40 per cent in 2020.
The rise in unsentenced prisoners reflects more Victorians being charged with crimes and awaiting trial, sentencing or deportation.
(Featured Image: KATE TER HAAR)
