Essentially no exiting prisoners in 2021-22 helped with housing in Tasmania, shocking new data reveals

Right to Information documents have revealed what one legal eagle says is a “human rights disaster” – however, the Tasmanian government says the figures are not comprehensive.

Risdon Prison. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Of the 1537 people released from Tasmanian prisons during the 2021–22 year, none were apparently housed in public or community housing after their time behind bars, according to concerning new data.

A recent Right to Information request by Ben Bartl from the Community Legal Centres Tasmania and Don McCrae from JusTas revealed about 1550 people have left prison in Tasmania each year over the past 10 years.

However, over the past three years, fewer than five had been provided with supportive housing upon their release, and none were housed last year, according to the figures.

Risdon Prison. Picture: Zak Simmonds

The government has replied to say it didn’t have accurate details on the exact numbers receiving housing support, as exiting prisoners were not required to divulge this information.

But Mr Bartl and Mr McCrae have flagged the existing statistics as of serious concern, submitting the data to a Legislative Council inquiry into Tasmanian adult and youth detention, which held two days of public hearings last week.

In their submission, Mr Bartl and Mr McCrae noted the grim statistics that Tasmania had the highest rate of people returning to prison within two years of their release, with the number rising steadily over the past decade.

They said the lack of supportive housing for prisoners leaving custody in Tasmania was significant, given existing data that showed nearly half of all Australian inmates expected to be homeless upon their release.

The pair also said the lack of housing meant prisoners were often locked up for longer than expected, with the Parole Board of Tasmania sometimes refusing parole due to a lack of suitable accommodation on the outside.

Ben Bartl from Community Legal Centres Tasmania (pictured) and Don McCrae from JusTas have dug out shocking statistics about the lack of housing help provided to former Tasmanian prisoners. Picture: Chris Kidd. Picture: Chris Kidd

According to their data, in the 2021–22 year, 73 out of 303 parole applications were adjourned due to a lack of suitable housing, with 24 per cent of applications refused as a result.

In one case study, they said a Tasmanian man had been jailed for 25 years, with a non-parole period of 16 years – but spent 20 years locked up because he couldn’t find a place to live.

“(The man) put his name down for public and community housing in every available suburb and town. Four years later, he had still not received an offer of housing,” Mr Bartl and Mr McCrae said.

“Without housing, the Parole Board would not grant (the man) parole, and without parole, no public or community housing provider would provide him with housing.”

The man was unable to get housing with friends and acquaintances, as they lived in areas of Tasmania he was barred from entering.

A woman in a similar situation also had huge troubles finding somewhere to live after she successfully appealed her conviction and had her sentence significantly reduced.

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“She strongly believes that the lack of housing means that many women exiting prison are returning to violent relationships because they have nowhere else to go, taking drugs to medicate themselves and in some cases turning to sex work,” Mr Bartl and Mr McCrae said in their submission.

They said providing ex-prisoners with housing also made the community in general safer, as it reduced crime recidivism rates.

Prisoners Legal Service chair Greg Barns SC said the data uncovered by Mr Bartl and Mr McCrae revealed a “human rights disaster” in Tasmania.

“Is it any wonder that Tasmania has some of the highest recidivism rates in Australia?” he said.

Elise Archer, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, said people leaving Tasmanian prisons were supported to find suitable accommodation prior to their release – naming a number of internal and external programs designed to assist in the transition.