Published on 7 May 2026

Improving prisoner rehabilitation in the Northern Territory

Projects
16 JEREMY 1x1 PORTRAIT 1
Jeremy Markham Senior Consultant Contact me
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Sean Stack Senior Consultant Contact me

With the Northern Territory’s very high rates of domestic violence offences and a predominantly Aboriginal prison population, the Department of Corrections’ (DOC) Rehabilitation and Reintegration team had an aspirational vision to break the cycle of reoffending to reduce crime and improve community safety. However, with extreme capacity pressures and a need for effective solutions for Aboriginal offenders, being able to deliver on this vision would be no easy task. That’s why the Rehabilitation and Reintegration team asked Allen + Clarke to design an evidence-based, culturally responsive Rehabilitation Framework and develop an associated implementation plan.

To develop the framework, the Allen + Clarke team needed to research best practice methods, learn more about local context and investigate how current operations were enabling or impeding success. The project team effectively engaged with staff and stakeholders, applying our Four Lenses Operating Model framework to identify the necessary business changes to set up Rehabilitation and Reintegration to deliver on irs vision. 

DOC needed a solution that worked for staff and offenders. It needed to be practical, culturally informed and sustainable.

Addressing system pressures with a people-centred framework

When the work commenced, the Northern Territory had the highest imprisonment rate in Australia; prisons were operating at or above capacity; half of those held in custody were on remand; and recidivism hovered around 60%. 

Rehabilitation programs existed, including targeted domestic violence programs, but numerous factors constrained their effectiveness. Such factors included restricted eligibility criteria, suboptimal program design and delivery, limited delivery capacity and limited ability to influence important enabling conditions both in prison and post-release. 

The resulting framework aims to: 

  • Check mark Improve rehabilitation support that prisoners can access, including those on remand.
  • Check mark Improve cultural safety and responsiveness for Aboriginal prisoners.
  • Check mark Strengthen governance, data and performance management.
  • Check mark Ultimately support reduced reoffending.
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Drawing on specialist expertise

The project team combined complementary capabilities with an open and responsive engagement approach to design a solution that was evidence-based, culturally nuanced and reflected real-world operating conditions.

Drawing on business change expertise, the project also provided quality advice to Rehabilitation and Reintegration on how to resource, sequence and deliver the change. The need to manage change carefully and at a realistic pace was a key reason why the Framework provided distinct interim and end states to work towards.

This ability to combine multiple complementary capabilities in this way is a common feature of Allen + Clarke’s projects.

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The project provided a comprehensive set of recommendations to ensure Rehabilitation and Reintegration could implement the framework effectively and sustainably.

Key features of our approach

  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Reviewed almost 200 documents to inform design.
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Held workshops and interviews with more than 40 stakeholders and staff.
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Created a framework with defined stages from prioritisation to reintegration, grounded in cultural safety and consistent practice.
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Developed a phase roadmap, complete with governance structures, capability expansion plans, and performance measures to guide Rehabilitation and Reintegration over the long term.
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Designed an interim model, to use as a stepping stone towards the more aspirational end-state.
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The project also provided a phased implementation roadmap so that Rehabilitation and Reintegration can plan and deliver the change, track performance and build capability over time.