2024 Industry Laureate Profile: Professor Mark Halsey

Professor Mark Halsey

Administering Organisation: Flinders University

Fellowship Project Summary 

IL240100059 – Breaking the prison reoffending cycle: A desistance from crime approach

Australia’s prison sector costs $6 billion per year with half of all people released returning to prison within two years of release. This project builds on pilot work in Australia's largest jurisdiction to help fundamentally transform the way prisoners are rehabilitated. It will do this by examining how a strength-based approach influences levels of prisoner and staff safety, prisoners’ personal identity change, and prisoners’ social connections within and beyond custody. Communication, translation and adoption of this research will occur directly with the research partner, Corrective Services NSW, to create evidence-based site-specific action plans that best support prisoners to turn away from crime after their prison term. This project will benefit Australia by building safer communities, reducing policing and prison costs, and improving the lives of Australians who have spent time in prison.

Australian Research Council funding: $3,502,295

Industry Partners: Department of Communities and Justice Corrective Services NSW. 

To find out more about Professor Keith, please visit his profile page here.

For further information about this funding scheme, please visit the Industry Laureate Fellowships page.