Building Safer Communities (Breaking the Crime Cycle) - Northern Territory Department of Justice

Punishment plays a vital role in preventing re-offending.

To help ensure the punishment fits the crime, the NT Government has systematically reviewed sentencing laws. Penalties for child sex offenders have been significantly increased, tough new laws now apply to offenders who commit aggravated property offences and minimum non-parole periods have been introduced for sexual assaults, armed robbery, serious assaults and drug trafficking.

However, preventing re-offending needs more than a gaol sentence. Improved rehabilitation and reintegration services to prisoners go a long way towards breaking the crime cycle and building safer communities.

Better education and training opportunities are also a factor. If offenders can see a future outside of crime, they are more likely to choose a future lawful path.

Visit the following websites for more information.

Department of Justice

Law Making and Law Reform

Making Better Laws – the Department of Justice is involved in the law making process through the Legal Policy Division, and the Attorney-General receives advice on law reform from the Law Reform Committee.

Northern Territory Correctional Services

Northern Territory Correctional Services, in partnership with the community, is committed to delivering a correctional service that contributes to individual and community safety through a range of strategies, including the effective management of prisoners and juvenile detainees during their period of imprisonment or detention and supporting the reduction of the likelihood of their re-offending through the provision of effective rehabilitation and reintegration programs and services. In addition, NT Correctional Services works to ensure that a range of rehabilitation and reparation programs are available to sentenced prisoners and community based offenders which encourage them to become socially responsible members of the community.

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Last Updated: 21/03/05