Hundreds more electronic monitoring devices have been rolled out to support tough new bail laws and ensure real time alerts are issued when bail conditions are breached.
The $8.1m investment includes 220 additional devices which allow offenders’ movements to be tracked 24/7, with dedicated Corrections staff available to respond to alerts which helps protect victims and the community.
It comes as laws introduced and passed by the State Government ensure people accused of serious offending have a tougher time getting bail and, if granted, are subject to stricter conditions.
This includes mandatory electronic monitoring for defendants granted bail on a charge of breaching a domestic violence-related intervention order through either physical violence or a threat of physical violence.
More than 700 adults on bail are currently subject to electronic monitoring (733) – an increase of 24% over the past four years (589 adults in January 2021).
The number of young people subject to electronic monitoring at least once during a year increased 73% (from 86 to 149 youths) between 2020-21 and 2023-24 with the vast majority of this monitoring linked to bail orders.
Increased use of electronic monitoring across both age groups has enabled breaches to be detected more effectively and can result in multiple breaches being recorded in a single incident.
Latest police statistics reveal those caught breaching their bail conditions – for defendants on either police or court-ordered bail – is up 7% over the past 12 months, with 16,700 charges laid in 2024 comprising 13,960 adult offences and 2734 youth offences.
Multiple offences can be recorded against one person.
Bail breach figures in previous years – adjusting for the COVID low seen in 2021 – remained steady, at just under 14,500 offences between 2019-2022.
South Australia has the highest rate of any state of adults on remand in prison – around 45% of the prisoner population – because they did not receive bail.
The government has moved to strengthen bail laws including courts having to consider the wider harm posed to children when determining bail for child exploitation material offences and ensuring defendants accused of state-based terrorism offences have a presumption against bail.
The State Government is also taking strong action to break the cycle of youth offending.
New measures include a multimillion-dollar upgrade to the Kurlana Tapa Youth Training Centre to improve rehabilitation, a $1m commitment towards diverting Aboriginal children charged with minor offences from custody and connecting them with community-based support and early intervention programs for violent offending.
