The opening of a new women's prison in outback Alice Springs has coincided with a major drop in crime rates following a law and order crackdown.
Corrections Minister Gerard Maley on Friday announced the opening of Alice Springs' first dedicated women's prison, with a 95-bed capacity.
It comes as the latest figures for the crime-troubled Northern Territory town showed total offences down 43 per cent, property offences down 50 per cent, house break-ins down 79 per cent and assaults down 28 per cent.
Commercial break-ins are down 56 per cent, motor vehicle theft and related offences are down 65 per cent and property damage offences down 43 per cent.
The figures compared Alice Springs crime data from December 2025 with December 2024.
The results follow a tough-on-crime approach by the Country Liberal Party government, including tighter bail laws that have led to prisons filling up as authorities work to provide hundreds of new jail beds.
The government says it makes no apology for putting the victims of crime first, ahead of offenders.
The new jail was part of the government's commitment to reform the territory's correctional system and break the cycle of reoffending, Mr Maley said in a statement.
"For the first time in Alice Springs, women in custody will be housed in a dedicated facility separate from male prisoners, improving rehabilitation outcomes, safety and operational effectiveness."
The NT government invested $10.35 million in the 95-bed Alice Springs women’s facility and has brought online more than 745 beds since August 2024, Mr Maley said.
Meanwhile, in Darwin police are urging a prisoner to return to custody after a blunder by the Department of Corrections.
Clinton Daylight, 52, was mistakenly released by the department on Wednesday.
