National rates of supervision
Over the 5-year period from 2006–07 to 2010–11, the rate of young people under supervision in Australia on an average day increased from 2.3 to 2.6 per 1,000. (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.)
This was largely driven by an increase in the rate of young people under community-based supervision-from 2.0 to 2.2 per 1,000. The rate in detention remained stable at around 0.3 to 0.4 per 1,000 each year.
Recent trends by sex and Indigenous status
Nationally, the level of Indigenous over-representation among young people under supervision fell slightly over the 4 years to 2010-11. In 2010–11, Indigenous young people aged 10–17 were 15 times as likely to be under supervision on an average day, down from 16 times as likely in 2007–08.
The level of Indigenous over-representation in detention decreased steadily over the period. In 2007–08, an Indigenous young person aged 10–17 was 28 times as likely to be in detention as a non-Indigenous young person, while in 2010–11 they were 24 times as likely. There was a smaller decrease in the level of Indigenous over-representation in community-based supervision over the period.
The rates of both young men and young women aged 10–17 under supervision rose; however, the rate of increase was slightly higher for young women.
Longer trends by jurisdiction
Over the 11-year period from 2000–01 to 2010–11, there were overall increases in the rates of supervision on an average day in New South Wales (from 1.9 to 2.6 per 1,000) and Victoria (from 1.5 to 1.9 per 1,000) and decreases in Queensland (from 3.9 to 2.9 per 1,000) and South Australia (from 3.2 to 2.2 per 1,000).
While rates of supervision in the Australian Capital Territory fluctuated, there was an overall decrease between 2003–04 and 2010–11 (from 4.4 to 3.8 per 1,000). There was an increase in Tasmania between 2006–07 and 2010–11 (from 3.7 to 4.7 per 1,000) (longer trend data were not available for the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania).