Juvenile detention statistics

The AIC has maintained a data collection on the number of persons detained in juvenile corrective institutions since 1981, consisting of a count of persons detained in institutions on the last day of each quarter each year. Similar information is not available for the sentenced non-custodial juvenile population.

The long term trend data shown in this section are based on the census conducted on 30 June of each year.

Trend in juvenile corrective institution population

As there are differences between jurisdictions regarding the definition of a juvenile, statistics are shown for persons aged between 10 and 17 years. Figure 96 depicts the imprisonment rate of male and female juveniles from 1981 to 2006.

• Between 1981 and 2006, the overall incarceration rate for juveniles declined 55%, from 65 to 30 per 100,000.
• The rate for males had declined to 52 per 100,000 in 2006, from 105 in 1981. The rate for females dropped from 23 to 5.
• The percentage of females in the total juvenile prison population has dropped from 17% in 1981 to 8% in 2006.
• In 2006, the male incarceration rate was 11 times higher than the rate for female juveniles.

Indigenous status

Data on incarcerated juveniles by Indigenous status have been made available since 1994. This section shows the incarceration rate of Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons in juvenile corrective institutions, from 31 March 1994 to 30 June 2006 for each quarter.

Note: These data are based on the high series of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population projections for juveniles. This method accounts for the effects of increased propensity to identify as Indigenous between the 1991, 1996 and 2001 censuses. In 2004 the ABS released revised Indigenous population figures in the high series for 2001-2003, based on the 2001 census. Rate calculations for these years therefore differ from some previous publications.

• The total number of Indigenous persons in juvenile corrective institutions on 30 June 2006 was 330. This represents 51% of the total number of persons detained in juvenile corrective institutions.
• The incarceration rate for Indigenous juveniles was 315 per 100,000, 21 times higher than the rate for non-Indigenous juveniles (15 per 100,000).
• There has been a 33% decline in the Indigenous juvenile imprisonment rate since the high of 468 per 100,000 recorded in March 1997.

Further information

• Juveniles in detention in Australia
  Annually produced report on juveniles in Australian corrective institutions.

Charts/fact sheets

• Corrections : Juveniles in detention (Chapter 6 from Australian crime : facts and figures 2006)
• Juvenile justice supervision in Australia
• Juvenile detention rates 1994-2003
• Indigenous juveniles in detention

Other publications and data sources

• Juveniles in detention in Australia
  Reports and statistics from the project involving monitoring long-term trends and changes in the number and rate of young people in juvenile detention facilities in Australia.
• Juvenile justice in Australia
  Annually produced report. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
• Alcohol, drugs and crime : a study of juveniles in detention
  Jeremy Prichard and Jason Payne, 2005
• Are some states or territories more delinquent than others? Inter-jurisdictional comparisons
  Peter Norden, Juvenile justice conference, 2003

Related links

• Statistics: Indigenous juveniles in detention; Juvenile offenders
• Topics: Corrections; Young people and crime