New South Wales has an opportunity to reduce Aboriginal over-representation in the criminal justice system by doubling down on justice reinvestment, argues a new report from researchers at the University of Technology Sydney, the University of Sydney and Macquarie University alongside Aboriginal community leaders and community controlled organisations. The net prison operating and capital costs in NSW rose from $0.95 billion in 2014-15 to $2.2 billion in 2024-25, while Aboriginal imprisonment continued to climb. In March 2026, Aboriginal adults reached a record high of 34.5 per cent of the NSW prison population, despite representing only 3.3 per cent of the general population. The repor argues that justice reinvestment should be supported as a long-term framework rather than a series of short-term programs. It examines how NSW can strengthen justice reinvestment by providing secure, ongoing support for Aboriginal-led initiatives that strengthen how Aboriginal communities and government work together to address the underlying drivers of over-representation.
