Evidence says the money would be more useful elsewhere ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Politicians often find it tempting to try and solve social and legal issues by increasing imprisonment – whether by introducing longer, harsher sentences, or by tightening bail laws.

As crime researcher Emma Russell and her colleagues report, Australia now has a higher per capita imprisonment rate than many comparable countries. As a result, the cost of running and maintaining prisons has more than doubled in the past decade.

We are building ever more prisons to house the growing list of inmates. Russell and her colleagues found 37 new facilities have been built in Australia since 2000, costing billions of dollars. But the evidence suggests these new prisons don’t reduce reoffending rates or create safer communities, and the researchers argue there are more beneficial ways to spend such large sums of money.

Erin Cooper-Douglas

Deputy Politics + Society Editor

Prisons don’t create safer communities, so why is Australia spending billions on building them?

Emma Russell, La Trobe University; Andrew Burridge, Macquarie University; Francis Markham, Australian National University; Naama Blatman, UNSW Sydney; Natalie Osborne, Griffith University

Research shows 37 new prisons have been built in Australia since 2000. But the evidence shows increased incarceration doesn’t help reduce crime.

Trump’s war on migrants could make an enemy of the country he needs most: Mexico

Luis Gómez Romero, University of Wollongong

Trump’s efforts to stop a so-called ‘invasion’ of migrants could imperil relations with the US’s biggest trading partner, Mexico.

Israel piles on criticism of Australia over antisemitism while answers to key questions elude authorities

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

The Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel has taken aim at the Albanese government for the second time this week.

The last time it was legal, exports of sea sand destroyed dozens of Indonesian islands. Now, the ban is being lifted

Bioantika, The University of Queensland; Hernandi Albeto Octaviano, The University of Queensland

The demand for sand is soaring in places like Singapore. But extracting sand from the sea is destructive. It’s worth looking at alternatives

‘Every blast is an open wound’: how the chaos of war breeds deadly superbugs that spread around the world

Christine Carson, The University of Western Australia

Antimicrobial resistance is yet another catastrophic legacy of war, threatening human health and security for generations to come.

Your fuzzy flannel pyjamas could be incredibly flammable – here’s what to know

Rebecca Van Amber, RMIT University

In Australia, clothing doesn’t have to carry a label with its fibre contents. That means we don’t always know how flammable a garment might be.

Is your child nervous about going back to school? Try asking them what they are looking forward to

Samantha Vlcek, RMIT University

The start of the school year can be an anxious time. But parents can help if they talk to their kids, validate their concerns and get back into a routine.

Does ‘made with love’ sell? Research reveals who values handmade products the most

Tuba Degirmenci, Queensland University of Technology; Frank Mathmann, Queensland University of Technology; Gary Mortimer, Queensland University of Technology

‘Mindful’ consumers feel handmade goods contain more ‘love’ and are willing to pay more for them. For faster-paced ‘doers’, handmade marketing can actually backfire.

NZ’s Companies Act is finally being reformed – but will the changes go far enough?

Lynn Buckley, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Peter Underwood, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

There is clearly the political will to update the Companies Act. But the new reforms have gaps that could undermine the the goals of simplicity and transparency.

When does an actor stop, and AI begin? What The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez tell us about AI in Hollywood

Amy Hume, The University of Melbourne

Accent coaches and vocal performances are vital parts of actors creating characters – are we OK if AI gives a helping hand?

Guide to the classics: Aristotle’s Poetics is a bible for screenwriters – but it’s often misread

Emma Cole, The University of Queensland

No other classic text has left such a mark on how we tell stories, create theatre, and structure film. But what does it actually say?

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