Summary
This report presents data on the number of young people released from a supervised youth justice sentence who then returned – that is, young people who received another supervised sentence after the end of their first, or index sentence. Supervised sentences include both community-based and detention sentences.
Birth cohort: key findings
Northern Territory data availability for 2023–24
Northern Territory orders data was not available for young people who were under youth justice supervision in 2023–24. This means that Northern Territory data was not available for young people who had a sentence start in 2023–24.
As a result, the Northern Territory is not included in national and state/territory totals for 2023–24 for the birth cohort.
The birth cohort analysis examines the proportion of young people born between 1990–91 to 2005–06 who returned to sentenced supervision after their first supervised sentence (that is, the rate of return), using their entire youth justice supervision history between ages 10–17.
The majority of young people do not return to sentenced supervision
The vast majority of young people have never been under sentenced youth justice supervision (AIHW 2025), and most young people who had a supervised sentence did not receive another supervised sentence before the age of 18. About 3 in 5 (59%) young people under sentenced youth justice supervision at some time between 2000–01 to 2023–24 did not return to sentenced youth justice supervision.
Young people with a first supervised sentence of detention were more likely to receive an additional supervised sentence (51%) than young people with a first supervised sentence of community-based supervision (41%).
Of the young people aged 10–17 under sentenced youth justice supervision between 2000–01 to 2023–24:
- young people aged 10–12 with a first supervised sentence of community-based supervision were more likely than all other age groups to receive an additional sentence before the age of 18, with a return rate of 90%
- males were more likely than females to receive an additional supervised sentence before the age of 18 (43% and 36%, respectively)
- over half (55%) of First Nations young people received an additional supervised sentence before the age of 18.
Supervision cohort: key findings
Northern Territory data availability for young people released from youth justice supervision in 2022–23
Northern Territory orders data was not available for young people who were under youth justice supervision in 2023–24.
For the supervision cohort, Northern Territory data was unavailable for young people aged 10–16 who were released from a supervised sentence during 2022–23. This is because returns to youth justice supervision for young people released in 2022–23 would occur during 2023–24 (when data was unavailable).
As a result, the Northern Territory is not included in national and state/territory totals for 2022–23 for the supervision cohort.
The supervision cohort analysis examines the rate of return for young people released from a supervised sentence during 2022–23 whose age made them eligible to return to youth justice supervision within 1 year (aged 10–16 when released). It includes young people released from their first ever supervised sentence, and those who had already had a prior episode of sentenced supervision.
This analysis complements the birth cohort analysis, as it measures the number of returns to sentenced supervision within a year for all those released in 2022–23, rather than the number of returns for all young people under youth justice supervision between 2000–01 to 2023–24.
Young people released from sentenced detention are more likely to return to sentenced supervision within 6 and 12 months
Of the young people aged 10–16 released from sentenced supervision in 2022–23 (allowing a 12 month follow-up period to 30 June 2024):
- about 2 in 5 (39%) released from sentenced community-based supervision received another supervised sentence within 6 months, and more than half (56%) within 12 months
- 7 in 10 (70%) released from sentenced detention received another supervised sentence within 6 months, and more than 4 in 5 (84%) within 12 months
- those with at least one previous supervised sentence were more likely than those with no previous supervised sentence to return to sentenced supervision. This finding was across supervision types (community-based and detention) and time to return (6 months and 12 months).
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2025) Youth justice in Australia 2023–24, catalogue number JUV 145, Appendix D: State and territory youth justice systems, policies and programs 2023–24, AIHW, Australian Government.