Community-based supervision is an alternative to detention. It includes:
- unsentenced orders (such as supervised or conditional bail, and home detention bail)
- sentenced orders (such as probation and similar orders, suspended detention, and parole or supervised release).
On an average day in 2010–11, most young people under community-based supervision were serving a sentence. Probation and similar was the most common type of community-based supervision in all states and territories (81% nationally). Proportions varied among the states and territories. (Western Australia and the Northern Territory did not participate in the Juvenile Justice National Minimum Data Set during 2010–11. Where possible, estimates for these jurisdictions are included in national totals.)
Only around 11% of young people under community-based supervision were unsentenced. Most unsentenced community-based orders were supervised or conditional bail or similar. This type of supervision was most common in the Australian Capital Territory (33%) and Victoria (20%).
Periods of community-based supervision lasted for almost 3 months, on average. Some young people completed more than one period during the year. When all periods are considered, young people were under community-based supervision for an average of 6 months in total during 2010–11.