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Australian Crime: Facts and Figures 2002

Criminal Justice Resources

Justice expenditure

According to the Report on Government Services 2002, the total government expenditure on justice in 2000-2001 was over $6.8 billion. Since 1996-97, government expenditure on justice has increased at a real average annual growth rate of 4%.

Police services represent the largest component of the justice system, accounting for approximately 64% of the total justice-related expenditure. Corrective services account for a further 22%, and court administration accounts for the remaining 14% (Figure 77).

Police

Policing activities are predominantly the responsibility of the police agencies of state and territory governments, with the Australian Federal Police providing a community policing service in the ACT on behalf of the ACT Government. Funding for these services comes almost exclusively from state and territory government budgets, with some specificpurpose grants being provided by the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth Government operates the Australian Federal Police. The figures discussed below exclude resource data for the AFP.

Expenditure

The total recurrent expenditure on police services across Australia was $4.6 billion. This amounts to $236 for every person in Australia, and $308 per adult. Recurrent expenditure on staff salaries accounted for 77% of this total expenditure.

In recent years there has been a trend towards 'civilianisation' of police services, with some non-core activities undertaken by non-sworn officers or contracted to external providers.

  • The total police services staffing in Australia on 30 June 2001 was 57,035, an increase of 3% on the number recorded in 2000. This averages 293 per 100,000 persons (231 sworn police officers and 62 civilian employees).
  • There were 44,922 sworn police officers and 12,113 civilian employees making up Australian police services in 2001.

Staffing

Most people involved directly in the delivery of police services are sworn police officers (employees recognised under each jurisdiction's Police Act). Sworn police officers exercise police powers such as arrest, summons, caution, detain, fingerprint and search.

In recent years there has been a trend towards 'civilianisation' of police services, with some non-core activities undertaken by non-sworn officers or contracted to external providers.

  • The total police services staffing in Australia on 30 June 2001 was 57,035, an increase of 3% on the number recorded in 2000. This averages 293 per 100,000 persons (231 sworn police officers and 62 civilian employees).
  • There were 44,922 sworn police officers and 12,113 civilian employees making up Australian police services in 2001.

Source: References 6 and 14

Court administration

Court administration agencies throughout Australia provide a range of services integral to the effective performance of the judicial system. These agencies work with the judiciary and the community to provide a court system that allows the prompt resolution of disputes and appropriate access to justice for the community.

  • The total recurrent expenditure by state, territory and Commonwealth court authorities was approximately $912 million in 2000-2001, an increase from $850 million in 1999-2000.
  • Expenditure for criminal court administration was about $420 million for 2000-2001.

Figure 81 shows the average expenditure per case lodgment in the criminal courts. The higher the level of court, the more expensive each criminal case lodgment becomes. This is because more complex and lengthy cases are tried in the higher courts.

Adult corrective services

Resources allocated for corrective services in Australia are divided into two broad categories: prisons and community corrections.

Total recurrent expenditure on corrective services in Australia was approximately $1.46 billion in 2000-2001; $1.3 billion (87%) for prisons, $149 million (10%) for community corrections and $35 million (3%) for transport and escort services. This corresponds to an average of $98 for every adult in Australia.