Female offender statistics
Female offenders, by age, 1995-96 to 2005-06 (rate per 100,000 relevant persons)
Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2002-2006. Population by age and sex, Australian states and territories (various issues). ABS cat. no. 3201.0. Canberra: ABS
Victoria Police 1992-2006. Victoria Police crime statistics (various issues). Melbourne: Victoria Police
South Australia Police 1996-2006. Statistical review/Annual report (various issues). Adelaide: SAPOL
Queensland Police Service 1992-2006. Annual statistical review (various issues). Brisbane: QPS
- Rates among females since 1995-96 have been consistently highest among the 15-19 year-old age group.
- For all age groups, the female offender rate peaked in the period 1999-2001. The largest decrease has occurred in the 15-19 year-old age group. Some stabilisation in offending rates has occurred since 2003-04, with the exception of the 10-14 year age group.
Female offenders, by offence type, 1995-96 and 2005-06 (rate per 100,000 relevant persons)
Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2002-2006. Population by age and sex, Australian states and territories (various issues). ABS cat. no. 3201.0. Canberra: ABS
Victoria Police 1992-2006. Victoria Police crime statistics (various issues). Melbourne: Victoria Police
South Australia Police 1996-2006. Statistical review/Annual report (various issues). Adelaide: SAPOL
Queensland Police Service 1992-2006. Annual statistical review (various issues). Brisbane: QPS
- Female offender rates were highest for other theft, fraud/deception and assault in both 1995-96 and 2005-06. They were lowest for robbery, homicide (less than 2 per 100,000) and sexual assault (less than 1 per 100,000).
- Between 1995-96 and 2005-06, female offending rates increased only for assault; an increase of 40% compared with 15% for males.
- Rates for other theft dropped by 39%.
Further information
Drugs and crime : a study of incarcerated female offenders
The Drug Use Careers of Female Offenders study was based on interviews with 470 women incarcerated in Australian prisons. The report Drugs and crime : a study of incarcerated female offenders presents findings on offending histories, drug use, links between drug and alcohol use and crime, temporal order of drug use and offending, and risk factors for drug use and offending. A summary paper also available: Key findings from the Drug Use Careers of Female Offenders study.
- Number of arrests of women for drug offences, excluding cannabis
- Demographic characteristics of offenders
- History of offending
- Multiple offending by offence type
- Main offence for current incarceration
- Reasons for committing property offences
- Reasons for committing violent offences
- Mean age of offending and drug use for regular offenders and drug users
- History of offending by Indigenous status
Female offender statistics - other countries
- Focusing on women 2005 : crime
Statistics New Zealand, 2004 - Women and girls in the justice system : facts and figures
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (US) - Women offenders
Bureau of Justice Statistics (US), 1999 - Statistics on women and the criminal justice system (PDF 286kB)
Home Office (UK), 2002
Related links
- Statistics: Age and gender of alleged offenders
- Topic: Women and crime