Exiting prison with complex support needs: the role of housing assistance

Introduction The challenge of addressing the housing and support needs of people exiting prison is heightened by the continued growth of the prison population. [...] The high costs of imprisonment and reoffending—in terms of public expenditure, and in terms of the victims of crimes and the wasted lives of offenders—are also being debated and challenged outside government. [...] • Reviews of published statistics and policies • Interviews • CITS analysis of linked administrative data • Cost-benefit analysis Reviews of published statistics and policies We reviewed the major published statistical sources—including the Prisoners in Australia series by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS 2020a), the Health of Australian Prisoners study by the Australian Institute of Healt. [...] A statistical picture of prisoners and complex support needs 2.2 Prisoner mental health, disability and suffering The main source of data about the support needs of prisoners, particularly regarding mental health and disability, is the National Prisoner Health Data Collection (NPHDC), published in The health of Australia’s prisoners series by the AIHW. [...] Commencing in 2018, the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA) has restored some certainty to the funding of homelessness services, but it lacks the reforming imperative of the 2008 white paper and the NPAH.