Rates

On an average night in the June quarter 2022, 2.3 per 10,000 young people aged 10–17 were in unsentenced detention, and 0.5 per 10,000 were in sentenced detention (Figure 3.2).

Over the 4-year period, the rate of young people aged 10–17 in unsentenced detention was relatively stable at about 2.0 per 10,000 young people. The rate of young people in unsentenced detention was highest in the March quarter 2019, the March quarter 2022 and the June quarter 2022 (2.3 per 10,000 young people) and lowest in the September quarter 2020 (1.7 per 10,000) (Table S36).

Compared to the June quarter 2021, the rate of young people aged 10–17 in unsentenced detention in the June quarter 2022 was slightly higher (2.1 per 10,000 compared with 2.3 per 10,000 young people).

The rate of young people in unsentenced detention tended to be higher in the March and June quarters each year, and lower in the September and December quarters. The exception was the June quarter 2020 where the rate was lower (Figure 3.2).

Over the 4-year period, rates of young people in sentenced detention have declined steadily. The rate of young people aged 10–17 in sentenced detention in the June quarter 2022 was lower than the June quarter 2018 (0.5 per 10,000 compared with 1.1 per 10,000 young people) (Figure 3.2).

Conversely, the rate of young people aged 10–17 in sentenced detention in the June quarter 2022 remained the same as the June quarter 2021 (0.5 per 10,000 young people) (Table S54).

Figure 3.2: Young people aged 10–17 in detention on an average night, by legal status, Australia, June quarter 2018 to June quarter 2022 (rate)

This line graph shows 2 lines comparing the rates of young people aged 10–17 who were in detention with the legal status of ‘sentenced’ or ‘unsentenced’. It shows that the rate of young people in unsentenced detention was consistently higher than the rate for those in sentenced detention. Over the 4‑year period, the rate of young people aged 10–17 in unsentenced detention fluctuated over time. The rate of young people aged 10–17 in sentenced detention fell over time.