Former prisoner felt 'trapped' in cycle of reoffending but has now made changes

Reoffending 'cycle' sending almost one in two prisoners back behind bars M By Monty Jacka

Convicted drug trafficker Shannon Pursell was a chronic reoffender for years, but a one-on-one peer support program has helped him achieve his longest run without a new charge.

Tasmania has one of the highest recidivism rates in Australia, with nearly one in two prisoners ending up back behind bars within two years of their release.

Advocates have called for more investment into support programs for prisoners, to give them the skills needed to readjust to life outside of jail.

Shannon Pursell celebrated his 21st birthday during his first stint in Tasmania's Risdon Prison, and he ended up back behind those same walls for both his 22nd and 23rd as well.

"Then I got back out and I stayed out of trouble for probably six months, but I was back on another charge and stuff," Mr Pursell said.

The seriousness of the offences Mr Pursell committed slowly escalated, from trespassing to burglary to common assault and eventually drug trafficking.

Now aged 37, he has spent most of his adult life in and out of prison, rarely going more than two months before ending up back on a curfew.

He said adapting to normal life after every release created "a lot of challenges", with everyday tasks like paying rent, setting up a phone and using modern parking meters piling on stress.

That mental pressure would push him towards old habits and bad influences, ultimately making him feel "trapped" in a cycle of reoffending.

"Most of the time was from drinking alcohol or using drugs, that's why I'd reoffend," he said.

Tasmania has one of the highest reoffending rates in Australia, with 46.6 per cent of prisoners ending up back behind bars within two years of their release.

According to the Productivity Commission's latest Report on Government Services , only New South Wales and the Northern Territory had higher recidivism rates in 2024-25.

Tasmania's coordinator for the Justice Reform Initiative, Pat Burton, said the data clearly illustrated that reoffending was a "huge problem" in the state.