Release - Supreme Court Justice to keynote KWOOP's 10th Annual Parliamentary Breakfast

Keeping Women Out Of Prison (KWOOP) Coalition

RELEASE

Aboriginal women are now imprisoned at 22 times the rate of non-Indigenous women — the highest on record.

More than 60 per cent of women in NSW prisons are held on remand — awaiting trial — with 52 per cent ultimately not receiving a custodial sentence.

Most are charged with minor offences. Most are mothers. Most could be safely diverted from prison.

It costs $180,000 per woman per year in prison, plus $110,000 per child per year in out-of-home care.

Justice Dina Yehia of the Supreme Court of New South Wales will deliver the keynote address at the 10th Annual KWOOP Parliamentary Breakfast today.

The Breakfast, held at the Strangers' Dining Room at NSW Parliament House, convenes more than 250 parliamentarians, judicial officers, community leaders, and representatives across the justice sector. It marks a decade of sustained bipartisan engagement on women's imprisonment in NSW.

Justice Yehia has spent more than three decades at the forefront of First Nations justice and is one of Australia's most respected voices on sentencing, diversion, and the overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in the criminal legal system. Her work establishing the Supreme Court's Walama List — a list dedicated to addressing Aboriginal over-representation in sentencing — exemplifies her commitment to systemic reform.

The event is co-hosted by the Hon. Jodie Harrison MP, Minister for Women, Minister for Seniors and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, and the Hon. Natasha Maclaren-Jones MLC, Shadow Minister for Families and Communities, Shadow Minister for Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Shadow Minister for Disability Inclusion, Shadow Minister for Homelessness and Shadow Minister for Youth.

The remand crisis is now reaching critical levels. The increase in women's imprisonment since 2014 is driven almost entirely by remand — women detained without conviction, many for months or years, pending trial. Research shows that exposure to the prison environment during remand increases risk of reoffending and family separation, making it a destructive intervention for women unlikely to receive custodial sentences.

For Aboriginal women, the crisis is particularly acute. At 22 times the rate of non-Indigenous women, Aboriginal women's imprisonment represents systemic inequality with intergenerational consequences. When Aboriginal mothers enter prison — often on remand — their children typically enter the care system, perpetuating what researchers call the 'care-to-prison pipeline'.

The KWOOP Coalition is calling on the NSW Government to substantially increase investment in evidence-based diversion programs. These approaches — which research consistently shows deliver better outcomes for women, children, and communities — offer a clear alternative to incarceration for women facing minor charges and remand detention.

The evidence is decisive. Women who engage with community-based diversion programs show lower reoffending rates, stronger family outcomes, and far better prospects for stable housing and employment. Evidence-based alternatives can be funded for as low as $25,000 per woman per year — a fraction of the $180,000 annual cost of imprisonment — while consistently delivering better results and significant cost savings across government.

KWOOP Co-Chair Professor Emerita Eileen Baldry AO said the case for action was clear and urgent. "We are spending over $200 million a year to imprison women most of whom are on remand or short sentences, while their children enter care at a cost of $110,000 per child per year. But because the drivers of their offending are not addressed prison is a very expensive revolving door. This is not a funding problem — it is a political will problem. The solutions exist. The programs work. What we need now is the decision to invest."

KWOOP is generously funded by the Judith Neilson Foundation and is a sub-fund of the Sydney Community Foundation.

ENDS

Media enquiries and interview requests: Corinne Kemp, Program Director 0410 505 003 | [email protected]

The full strategy document is available here with accompanying economic analysis here.

About KWOOP

The Keeping Women Out of Prison (KWOOP) Coalition is an independent, authoritative coalition established in 2013 by the late Rosalind Strong AM (former Chair of Sydney Community Foundation) and the late Lorraine Orfanidis. The coalition consists of individuals and organisations including service providers, philanthropic and not-for-profit organisations, universities, and women with lived experience of the criminal legal system.

KWOOP's vision is to achieve better outcomes for women and children affected by the criminal legal system, with the ambitious goal of halving the rate of women's imprisonment in NSW by 2030, particularly focusing on Aboriginal women.

Key Facts:

Founded: 2013
Structure: Sub-fund of Sydney Community Foundation
Funding: Proudly supported by the Judith Neilson Foundation
Approach: Community-driven, evidence-based advocacy

KWOOP's Strategy 2025–2028 was published in 2025. Below is a snapshot of the most current data available which may differ slightly from our strategy. Data is accurate at the time of distribution.

Scale of the Problem

3000 women move through NSW prisons annually
40% increase in women charged and convicted between 2014-2023
Current daily population of women held on remand in NSW prisons has reached crisis levels

Remand Crisis

Over 60% of women in prison on any given day are on remand (awaiting trial)
52% of women on remand do not receive a custodial sentence when their case concludes
This represents a fundamental system failure where women are imprisoned unnecessarily

Aboriginal Women's Over-representation

22 times more likely for Aboriginal women to be imprisoned than non-Indigenous women
Aboriginal women at over 40%, are significantly over-represented in the women’s prison population
Intergenerational impact: When Aboriginal mothers are incarcerated, most children enter care, feeding a 'care to prison pipeline'

Impact on Families and Children

60% of imprisoned women are mothers of dependent children
Children experience profound challenges with poor school engagement and developmental disruptions
Family separation creates lasting trauma and increases risks for next generation

Financial Costs and Projected savings

$180,000 per woman per year in prison (direct incarceration costs)
$110,000 average annual cost per child placed in out-of-home care
Evidence-based alternatives cost a fraction of imprisonment while achieving better outcomes
Prevention and diversion programs deliver significant savings across government portfolios
Family preservation prevents costly out-of-home care placements and associated services
Community safety improves through addressing root causes rather than using punishment-focused approaches

Pathways and Backgrounds

Majority have histories of poverty and early family disruption
High rates of childhood abuse, disability, and domestic violence victimisation
Mental health challenges including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder as well as disability, are prevalent
Substance use often linked to trauma and used as survival strategy
Economic marginalisation leads to crime out of financial necessity or to support addiction.

Available for Interview:

Professor Emerita Eileen Baldry, AO, Co-Chair KWOOP

Eileen Baldry AO FASSA FRSN FANZOC (BA, DipEd, MWP, PhD) is Professor Emerita of Criminology at UNSW, where she was the inaugural UNSW Deputy Vice Chancellor Equity Diversity and Inclusion (2017-2022), and the first woman to hold a DVC position at UNSW.

Professor Baldry's research focuses on social justice, particularly examining mental health and cognitive disability in criminal justice systems, prisoner education and post-release support, homelessness, women and girls’ criminalisation Indigenous justice, and disability She has been a Chief Investigator on numerous Australian Research Council, NH&MRC, Housing and Criminology grants.

Currently, she serves as Co-Chair of KWOOP, Co-Chair of the National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health Council, and as a member of the Intellectual Disability Rights Service Board. Her previous appointments include President of the Community Restorative Centre, Deputy Chair of the NSW Disability Council, Deputy Chair of the Justice and Equity Centre Board, Chair of the Ageing and Disability Commission Advisory Board and Co-Chair of Anti-Poverty Week.

Professor Baldry's contributions to justice-related causes were recognized with the Justice Medal from the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW in 2009. In 2021, she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for her distinguished service to tertiary education, social justice and as an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Nicole Yade, CEO WAGEC, Co-Chair, KWOOP

Nicole has over 25 years of experience leading, designing, and delivering services for marginalised people in the NGO sector. Currently serving as Co-Chair of KWOOP, she brings extensive expertise working across cultures with traumatised populations, including victim survivors of violence, refugees, and Aboriginal communities.

Throughout her career, Nicole has established innovative service programmes, including the Community Detention Program at the Australian Red Cross supporting asylum seekers and refugees in immigration detention, and Always Mum at Lou's Place, which supports restoration for women with children in Out of Home Care. Her most recent initiative, From Now, focuses on supporting women exiting incarceration.

Nicole combines her lived experience as a victim survivor with an intersectional feminist lens and passion for social justice to partner effectively with stakeholders across sectors. Her expertise spans change management, strategic planning, and service development. As a skilled fundraiser, she played a crucial role in helping Lou's Place raise $5 million to purchase a new home for the service.

In all her work, Nicole values the strengths, resilience, and expertise of the people and communities she serves. Her approach emphasises empowerment and partnership, recognising the inherent capabilities of those she works with while addressing systemic barriers to their wellbeing.

Contact details:

Corinne Kemp, Program Director 0410 505 003