Many factors are contributing to the overcrowding of the NSW prison system. This is in turn putting pressure on operations in the courts, and could ultimately impact rates of reoffending.

The lack of capacity is impacting more than just the NSW prison system. Over the weekend of 31 October 2015 some inmates held by the NSW Police Force could not be brought before a court because of capacity shortages.

This was one of the findings reported in Volume Seven 2015 of the Auditor-General’s Report to Parliament, which covers law and order services provided by the NSW Police Force, Department of Justice, and NSW Trustee and Guardian.