Justice advocates have criticised the South Australian government’s $277 million investment to expand prisons, saying it does little to tackle recidivism rates and community safety.

The Malinauskas government announced it is set to build more than 300 additional beds in Adelaide’s Yatala Prison, with a further 40 beds for the state’s women’s prison. Termed the largest investment in justice, the pledge will see over 350 new prison beds across the two Adelaide jails, with builds commencing next year.

But a member from a restorative justice group says investment should be redirected to more targeted approaches to crime prevention.

Image: image: public domain people CC0 photo.

Produced By: Emma Wotzke

Featured In Story: Hannah March – SA’s Justice Reform Initiative Advocacy and Campaign Coordinator, and

First aired on The Wire, Thursday 13 June 2024