Reducing the prison population: The challenge of pretrial services

Despite the concerns of criminologists and many practitioners, states in Australia are investing in new prisons, instead of diversion, in response to a growing prison population. But at the same time, counter-initiatives that do not usually receive much public attention, have achieved some success. In this paper, we will consider the contemporary bail reform movement internationally and in Australia. Employing quantitative and qualitative methods, we will describe some aspects of bail decision-making in the four states of Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. We will also consider the political forces that have resulted in integrated pretrial programs in Victoria, but prevented their development in other states. Are such programs potentially transformative or will they only have a limited impact on the continued growth of the prison?