A report into the Northern Territory corrections system has criticised the government for its handling of sex offender treatment programs in Territory prisons.
The Hamburger report was given to the then CLP-led Territory government in July, however a full version of the report was only released following a leak to the media on November 24.
The report found that sex offender treatment programs in the Northern Territory have been discontinued and says it is unacceptable that there are now no programs to rehabilitate sex offenders.
The report found two treatment programs were discontinued due to insufficient staffing and increased prioritisation of other prisoners to enable them to join the Sentenced to a Job program, which those convicted of sex offenses are unable to do.
While the programs were supposed to take three months to complete, the investigation found prisoners were taking up to nine months to complete them due to a lack of program facilitators and escort officers.
The number of prisoners completing the Sexual Offender Treatment Program dropped from 24 in 2013 to eight in 2015.
