Report snapshot: Support for First Nations peoples in custody and post-release to reduce reoffending

12 March 2026
First Nations people
Justice

Objective

This audit examined whether Corrective Services NSW and Youth Justice NSW (the agencies) provide effective and efficient support and programs for First Nations peoples in custody and after release to reduce reoffending.

Key findings

The agencies have invested in support for First Nations peoples

The agencies have developed strategies aimed at reducing over-representation of First Nations peoples in custody, aligned with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap 2020 (Closing the Gap), and have invested in programs and initiatives to support First Nations peoples.

The agencies have not operationalised systemic and structural transformation

The agencies have not embedded formal partnerships and shared decision-making, or established a healing framework and therapeutic model of care for First Nations peoples, as required by Closing the Gap and the NSW Government’s Aboriginal Affairs Plan, OCHRE.

The agencies do not monitor, evaluate or report on expenditure and outcomes for First Nations peoples

Since 2019, the agencies have had 5 strategies in place at different times to reduce First Nations over-representation in custody. However, they did not track spending or outcomes, and public data shows they failed to meet their targets.

The agencies have not established governance and accountability arrangements to support their targets

Both agencies identify failure to reduce over-representation of First Nations peoples in custody as a strategic risk, but effective governance and accountability mechanisms have not been established to mitigate this risk.

The agencies’ assessment tools disproportionately impact First Nations peoples

First Nations peoples are disproportionately classified as high-risk in NSW custodial settings, reducing their access to reintegration programs and increasing the risk of institutional barriers that contribute to reoffending.

The agencies have not identified culturally appropriate post-release services

The agencies do not have a referral framework to systematically support First Nations peoples exiting custody, including an endorsed list of culturally appropriate services in community.

The agencies have not taken sufficient steps to adapt their systems to growth in remand 

The agencies have not sufficiently addressed the needs of First Nations peoples on remand, or highlighted the practices contributing to significant growth in remand population.

Recommendations

That the agencies establish governance and accountability in line with Closing the Gap and OCHRE; co-design a First Nations Healing Framework; establish formal partnerships; and review their assessment tools.

Fast facts

  • 3.4% of the NSW population are First Nations adults and young people
  • 33.9% of adults in prison were First Nations as at December 2025, the highest proportion on record
  • 56.4% of young people in detention were First Nations as at December 2025
  • 61.5% of First Nations adults released from sentenced custody in 2023 reoffended within 12 months (42.1% non-First Nations)
  • 72.7% of First Nations young people released from sentenced custody in 2023 reoffended within 12 months (49.3% non-First Nations)
  • 12 First Nations people died in custody in NSW between January and October 2025, the highest recorded in a single year

Further information

Please contact Renee O'Kane, Chief of Staff, on 9275 7347 or by email.

Support for First Nations peoples in custody and post-release to reduce reoffending