Almost half of Qld prisoners returning to custody within two years, report finds

Queensland's prison population is booming, according to a new report that also warns almost half of inmates are returning to custody within two years of their release.

The state's auditor-general has found Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) is not effectively planning or facilitating the rehabilitation and reintegration of its prisoners.

In its latest report, the audit office noted there were 11,278 inmates as of June last year, which was a 54 per cent increase from a decade earlier.

QCS is also forecasting those numbers will grow further over the next 10 years, with somewhere between an extra 1,500 to 5,200 prisoners by June 2035.

The auditor-general's report showed the prison population was forecast to remain above built cell capacity over the next decade.

Depending on the rate of growth, the population could also exceed the "built bed capacity" of correctional centres by 2035 as well.

"Of the 13 high-security correctional centres, 12 house more prisoners than originally intended, as at 30 June 2025," the report said.

"To address the growing prisoner numbers, QCS has built a new correctional centre in Lockyer Valley and added a second bed to cells across existing centres.

"An increasing prisoner population places pressure on staffing and infrastructure, heightens safety and security risks, and disrupts routine operations."

The report also pointed out that 44 per cent of offenders sentenced to prison who were released from jail in 2022-23 returned to custody within two years after reoffending.

Prisoners at a higher risk of returning to custody included those sentenced for property crimes, such as burglary and motor vehicle theft.

"The national percentage has typically been higher than Queensland, due to other states and territories that have had higher rates of prisoners returning to custody," the report said.

"For example, 60 per cent of prisoners in the Northern Territory and 50 per cent in New South Wales returned to custody in the same period."

But the audit office also highlighted First Nations prisoners in Queensland were returning to custody at a greater rate than non-First Nations prisoners.

"In 2024−25, 55 per cent of First Nations people returned to custody in Queensland within two years compared to 36 per cent of non-First Nations people," it said.

"Only Northern Territory and New South Wales reported higher rates in the same period."

Lack of support for prisoners

The audit office concluded the QCS did not effectively "plan for and facilitate" the rehabilitation of its inmates.

It also said less than half of all prisoners who left custody in 2024-25 received "pre-release support", such as help setting up bank accounts.

"This impacts QCS's ability to help prisoners successfully reintegrate back into the community," the report said.

"QCS can more effectively monitor its reintegration services to determine if they are achieving their intended outcomes.

"While pre-release support is offered to all prisoners, not all accept it."

The auditor-general made five recommendations, including that the QCS strengthen its planning approach to prisoner rehabilitation and reintegration.

It also called for QCS to begin planning and support of the reintegration of a prisoner from the time they started their time in custody.

In his response to the report, QCS commissioner Paul Stewart said his agency accepted all the recommendations.

He also said QCS delivered a range of "evidence-informed" rehabilitation services in a bid to reduce recidivism and support the reintegration of prisoners.

"QCS continues to deliver rehabilitation and reintegration functions above service standard targets for prisoner program completions, in-prison re-entry support and prisoners in education," he wrote.

"In 2025-26, as at 31 March 2026, prisoners in custody have completed 3,429 rehabilitation programs, with completions trending upward in recent years due to work undertaken to maximise program participation and the commissioning of the Lockyer Valley Correctional Centre.

"Over the same period, education participation among eligible prisoners also increased to 34.9 per cent (from 31 .9 per cent in the previous financial year), representing 6,586 prisoners participating in one or more training or education courses."