Priority Offenders Reform

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Summary of reform

Priority offenders are persistent reoffenders who cycle through the Criminal Justice System time and time again.

The key component of the Priority Offender reform is Local Coordinated Multiagency offender management (LCM).

LCM aims to assist with reducing recidivism in the prison population and to reduce the number of domestic violence reoffenders by 2023 along with increasing safety and confidence in the management of these offenders in the community.

Rationale

In NSW it is estimated that a small group of offenders are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime (eight percent are responsible for 19 per cent of NSW crime). This group is known as priority offenders.

International and local evidence demonstrated that coordinated and prioritised access to interventions can help reduce reoffending rates. In response, LCM has been designed to target priority offenders. It is funded by the Department of Communities and Justice for four years (2016 to 2020) to operate in ten sites across NSW.

Local Coordinated Multiagency offender management (LCM)

LCM brings together various government agencies:

Department of Communities and Justice (including Corrective Services and Family and Community Services)
Police
NSW Health

Working collaboratively, the agencies jointly select and manage a small number of priority offenders residing in the community. This includes arranging access to interventions to help reduce a participant's risk of reoffending and improve community safety.

Sharing information, resources and expertise across the four agencies allows LCM to be more efficient in identifying suitable interventions and address challenges impeding service delivery.

Current Status

LCM commenced in three sites in September 2017 (Liverpool, Parramatta and Dubbo). A service review was completed in May 2018 and informed a decision to expand the program.

LCM currently operates from the following locations: