Researchers say inadequate collection of data on Australian prison incarceration rates is preventing efficient delivery of services.
A new paper published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health found, while the Australian government spends billions of dollars on prisons each year, its funding decisions are not based on sound data.
It found that in 2013, the number of Australians actually leaving prison was 25 per cent higher than the Australian Bureau of Statistics' estimate of people in prison.
The report also showed that current prison data underestimates the discrepency in incarceration rates between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians.
One of the report's authors, Associate Professor Stuart Kinner told Will Mumford, correct data is essential in helping prisoners transition back into society.
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