Summary
This bulletin examines the numbers and rates of young people aged 10 and over who were in youth detention in Australia due to their involvement or alleged involvement in crime. It focuses on trends over the 4-year period from the June quarter 2011 to the June quarter 2015.
Fewer than 900 young people in detention on an average night
There were 885 young people in youth detention on an average night in the June quarter 2015. Just over half (55%) were unsentenced that is, they were awaiting the outcome of their court matter or sentencing – and the remainder were serving a sentence.
Most young people (81%) in detention on an average night in the June quarter 2015 were aged 10-17. This equates to 3.2 young people aged 10-17 per 10,000 in the Australian population, or about 1 in every 3,150 young people. The other detainees were aged 18 or older.
Numbers and rates in detention have decreased
The number of young people in detention on an average night decreased from a high of 1,027 in the June quarter 2011 to 885 in the June quarter 2015.
The rate of young people aged 10-17 in detention on an average night decreased from 3.6 per 10,000 to 3.2 per 10,000 over the 4-year period.
Over the most recent year, numbers and rates in detention remained relatively stable. There were between 848 and 922 young people (of all ages) in detention on an average night each quarter. Among those aged 10-17, the rate ranged between 2.9 and 3.3 per 10,000.
Sentenced detention rate has decreased
The decrease in the rate of young people in detention on an average night was mainly due to a decrease in the rate of young people in sentenced detention. While the rate of young people aged 10-17 in unsentenced detention remained relatively stable (ranging between 1.7 and 2.2 per 10,000 each quarter), the rate in sentenced detention decreased from 1.5 per 10,000 in the June quarter 2011 to 1.2 per 10,000 in the most recent quarter. The rate was highest in the September quarter 2011 (1.6 per 10,000).
Just over half of those in detention are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
Just over half (54%) of all young people in detention on an average night in the June quarter 2015 were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Over the 4-year period, the level of over-representation of Indigenous young people aged 10-17 in detention increased from 19 to 26 times the rate of non-Indigenous young people. This was due to a decrease in the rate of non-Indigenous young people aged 10-17 in detention, while the Indigenous rate showed no clear trend.
Trends vary between the states and territories
There were different trends in the youth detention population between the states and territories. Over the 4-year period, the rate of young people aged 10-17 in detention increased in Queensland and the Northern Territory, showed no clear trend in Victoria, and decreased in the remaining states and territories.