Newshub Seemingly Attempts to Point to Slight Recent Uptick in Prison Population as Sign of Progress on Crime, But Longer Term Trend is Way Down
January 7, 2023
PHOTO: Department of Corrections
Ram-raids, stabbings, and shootings - barely a day goes by when we don’t hear about them. And it’s a big driver of an increase in prisoner numbers.
“Yes we have seen it come up since June,” said Corrections national commissioner Leigh Marsh.
New figures from Corrections show the number of inmates increased from 7728 in June to 8308 as of Friday. That’s an extra 580 people in prison.
But Corrections said it’s coping with the influx.
“We’re actually built for an operational capacity of over 9000 prisoners, so this is well within our margins,” Marsh said.
But prisoner advocates are worried.
“Given that increase has happened between June and now, that’s exponential in our view,” said Just Speak executive director Aphiphany Forward-Taua.
Prisoner numbers actually decreased at the beginning of 2022 before rising again later in the year.