A Labor premier has claimed credit for the increasing number of people imprisoned before trial amid concerns about regional crime.
But legal experts say sustainable community safety cannot be achieved through jailing more people.
It comes ahead of a community rally in Moree - the third in northern NSW in a week backing more severe punishments for violent and non-violent crimes.
NSW Premier Chris Minns on Wednesday defended his government's response including changes to bail laws.
The prison population had risen by 900 to 13,300 since his election in March 2023, he said.
"As a result of our changes to remand, there were 4800 people in remand in NSW prisons (in 2023) - today, the number is 5800," Mr Minns told budget estimates.
"Now, the Greens don't like those statistics, but it's important that the public know that we are prepared to make changes when we see problems in our community."
NSW's prison population - making up about one in four incarcerated people in Australia - has remained relatively stable for the past decade.
But the number of those on remand - awaiting trial or sentence - has substantially increased in recent years.
The peak body for NSW lawyers said it understood community crime concerns and the desire for immediate solutions.
"However, offending behaviours are often the result of long-term unmet needs driven by factors such as poverty, inadequate housing, healthcare, education and employment," Law Society of NSW president Jennifer Ball said.
"Sustainable community safety will not be achieved by increasing incarceration, particularly in relation to children and young people."
Civil rights group Justice and Equity Centre warned about taking bail decisions out of judges' hands.
"People on remand haven't been found guilty, and may never be found guilty, of any crime," Jonathon Hunyor, the chief executive of the Justice and Equity Centre, said.
"It shouldn't be politicians making decisions about whether they should get bail - they can't know all the circumstances."
The higher remand rates comes at the same time as wait times for trials blow out.
A Newcastle judge in late 2024 described the wait times as "intolerable" while the Supreme Court in recent weeks bailed a man on remand for 274 days after hearing he may wait until 2026 for trial.
