Prisoner Numbers Highest Since 2019, Advocate Calls for a Rethink

Razor wire lines the walls and fences of Yatala Labour Prison in South Australia. Photo by Ian Waldie/Getty ImagesViolent crime and the possession of weapons are on the increase, contributing to a rise in the prison population to figures not seen since 2019.Overwhelmingly, it is people born in Australia committing these crimes (83 percent), new data for the year to June 30, 2025, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows.