Penal Incarceration In Australia

Within the Australian justice system, the most severe and utilized form of punishment sanctioned to criminal offenders is imprisonment (Brown 2012, p. 484). Admittedly, whilst this method of punishment incapacitates criminal offenders from society, various bodies of research critique whether incarceration truly reduces the overall rate of crime (Hayes and Prenzler 2015, p. 309; Goulding 2007). Despite this concern, preceding decades has seen established criminal justice divisions in Australia amplify their punitive stance on crime via escalating the length and rate of penal incarceration. Within this time frame however, various forms of justice procedures have emerged that have sought to alter existing justice procedures by tackling the problem

In order to, determine why alternative forms of justice may have arisen. Generally, within Australia, there has tended to be a lack of agreement when deducting what the purpose incarceration may channel. For instance, Hayes and Prenzler (2015, pp. 316) specify, that whilst some individuals perceive imprisonment to operate on a symbolic level that embellishes retribution, others are likely to completely disagree and hold a different viewpoint. Likewise, a general lack of consensus is additionally seen when deciding if incarceration is an effective mode of punishment that truly addresses the problem of societal crime (Hayes and Prenzler 2015, p.312). To contextualize, prisons have been evaluated to be highly dangerous environments that amplify a subculture of violence and brutality (Goulding 2007, p.407). . As a consequence, of being constrained within this environment prisoners tend to desensitize themselves towards violence (Goulding 2007, p.400). In a review of literature examining Australian recidivism rates, Payne (cited in Hayes & Prenzler 2015, pp. 316) asserted that; “about two in every three prisoners will have been previously imprisoned”, and that; “between 35 and 41% of prisoners will be reimprisoned within two years of being released”. Taking this into account, perhaps, it can be presumed that convicted offenders may have difficulty reintegrating in society because of their desensitization to violence that diminished as a result of being incarcerated. Nevertheless, despite this negativity, a recent evaluative study has indicated