Both major political parties in the Northern Territory say they have no intention of building a new prison despite the proposed tightening of bail laws and a record number of inmates.
NT prisoner numbers have surged to unprecedented levels recently, reaching a record high on Monday with 2,082 people "committed to the custody of the NT Correctional Services".
NT prisons and work camps have a combined total operational capacity of 2,024, with some inmates sleeping on mattresses set up on the floor.
Earlier this month, NT Correctional Services came to an agreement with NT Police to use Darwin City watch house as an interim facility to hold inmates.
As of last Thursday, 21 people were being held there, with Palmerston and Alice Springs watch houses also taking prisoners.
It comes as the government plans to introduce stricter bail laws into parliament today, following the stabbing death of 20-year-old Declan Laverty, who was killed while working at a drive-through bottle shop.
"The pressure on the system is expected to continue for the foreseeable future," an NT Correctional Services spokesperson told the ABC.
The spokesperson said there were plans to create additional bed capacity at prisons "through a range of infrastructure development plans", including "the use of demountable" buildings.
New prison not the answer
Despite the expected pressure on the corrections system, Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison said the government was "not looking to build a new prison".
"But we are looking at ways to make sure our police have the powers they need," she said.
"[We are] looking at the programs to stop people offending and looking at ways we can have smart sentencing in place … that will help rehabilitate them."
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Chansey Paech has also opposed a new prison.
"Instead, we are working on a range of measures through our Aboriginal Justice Agreement to reduce the number of prisoners, such as alternatives to custody options, and [improving] justice outcomes across the Northern Territory," he said.
Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said there were "clearly social issues" driving the incarceration rate.
"The propensity of violence that we continue to see in the Northern Territory … is not anywhere near as prevalent in societies in other parts of Australia," he said.
"Nearly 1 per cent of our population [is incarcerated]."
Legal experts have already called for a measured response and urged the government to "avoid kneejerk reactions" and rushed bail reform, which they say does not reduce offending.
Country Liberal Party Member for Namatjira Bill Yan, who ran correctional centres in the NT for almost two decades, said building another prison was not "the right way to go".
He said prisons were filled with low-risk offenders who would be better served by alternatives such as treatment or community service.
"Prisons are really expensive to build, I've been part of the building of one," Mr Yan said.
"There are many other things that government can do — justice reinvestment being one … looking at those lower-level offenders, investing in programs and diverting some people away from the correctional space."
