Queensland

Quick facts

On an average day in 2020–21, in Queensland:

  • 1,610 young people aged 10 and over were under youth justice supervision
  • 21 per 10,000 young people aged 10–17 were under supervision
  • Indigenous young people were 21 times as likely as non-Indigenous young people to be under supervision.

Of those under youth justice supervision:

  • 86% were supervised in the community, and 15% in detention
  • 78% were male
  • 64% of those aged 10–17 identified as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin
  • 91% of those in detention were unsentenced (awaiting the outcome of their court matter or sentencing), and 12% were serving a sentence.

Young people spent an average of 35 weeks under supervision during the year.

Over the 5 years to 2020–21, the number of young people aged 10 and over who were under supervision on an average day rose by 14%, while the rate for those aged 10–17 fell from 26 to 21 per 10,000.

Note: In Queensland, legislation to increase the age limit in the youth justice system from 16 to 17 was enacted in February 2018. This change resulted in an increase in the number and rate of young people aged 17 under youth justice supervision from 2017–18 onwards.

 Impact of COVID-19 on youth justice data

This report includes data from March 2020 to June 2021, which coincides with the presence of COVID-19 in Australia. However, the direct impact of COVID-19 and related social restrictions on the number of young people under youth justice supervision is difficult to determine due to a range of factors including:

  •  variability of the data
  • variations in state-based legislation, policy and practice
  • small numbers of young people in detention on an average night.

More research is required in order to better understand the impact of COVID-19 and related social restrictions on youth justice supervision across Australia.

Number and rate

On an average day in 2020–21, in Queensland:

  • 1,610 young people aged 10 and over were under youth justice supervision (Table S130a)
  • nearly 9 in 10 (86%) were supervised in the community (Table S130b), and 15% in detention (Table S130c) (the proportion of young people under community-based supervision and in detention may not sum to 100% as young people may have been under community-based supervision and in detention on the same day)
  • the rate of supervision was 21 per 10,000 young people aged 10–17 (Table 131a)
  • 17 per 10,000 young people aged 10–17 were under community-based supervision (Table S131b), and 4.0 per 10,000 were in detention (Table S131c).

Age and sex

On an average day in 2020–21, in Queensland:

  • 71% of those under supervision were aged 10–17, and the rest were 18 and over
  • nearly 4 in 5 (78%) of young people under supervision were male
  • both males and females under supervision were most likely to be aged 18 and over (Table S130a). 

 

QLD Figure 1: Number of young people under supervision on an average day by age, sex and Indigenous status 2020-21

This population pyramid shows the age, sex and Indigenous status under supervision, community-based supervision and detention for Queensland. It shows that there were more males under all types of supervision than females. The age distribution of males and females was broadly similar, however males under supervision were slightly older on average than females. The largest number of males and females was aged 18 or older. Very few males and females under supervision were aged 13 and under in any state or territory. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people

On an average day in 2020–21, in Queensland:

  • Indigenous young people made up 8% of those aged 10–17 in the general population, but 64% (or 723) of those of the same age under supervision (tables S130a and S143).
  • Similar proportions of Indigenous young people aged 10–17 were under community-based supervision (64% or 588) and detention (64% or 140) (tables S130b and S130c).
  • Indigenous young people aged 10–17 were 21 times as likely as non-Indigenous young people to be under supervision (169 per 10,000 compared with 8.1 per 10,000) (Table S131a).
  • Indigenous over-representation was similar in community-based supervision and detention (21 times the non‑Indigenous rate, respectively) (tables S131b and S131c).

Time under supervision

In 2020–21, in Queensland:

  • the median duration of individual periods of supervision that were completed during 2020–21 was 243 days (35 weeks) (Table S29)
  • when all time spent under supervision during the year is considered, young people spent an average of 218 days (31 weeks) under supervision (Table S30).

Sentenced and unsentenced detention

On an average day in 2020–21, in Queensland:

  • 9 in 10 (91%) young people in detention were unsentenced—that is, they were awaiting the outcome of their court matter, or had been found guilty and were awaiting sentencing
  • 12% of young people in detention were serving a sentence (proportions might not sum to 100%, as young people may be in sentenced and unsentenced detention on the same day) (Table S107a).

Trends to 2020–21

Over the 5 years to 2020–21, on an average day, in Queensland:

  • the number of young people under supervision rose overall by 14%, from 1,414 in 2016–17 to 1,610 in 2020–21, with a high of 1,933 in 2018–19 (Table S130a)
  • the rate of young people aged 10–17 under supervision fell overall from 26 to 21 per 10,000 young people aged 10–17 (Table S12a)
  • in community-based supervision, the number rose by 12% (Table S130b), while the rate of those aged 10–17 fell from 22 to 17 with a high of 25 in 2018–19 (Table S45a)
  • in detention, the number rose by 29% peaking in 2018–19 (Table 130c), and the rate fluctuated between 3.6 and 4.6 per 10,000 (Table S83a) 
  • the rate of Indigenous young people under supervision fluctuated between 169 and 228 per 10,000 (Table S12a).

 

Qld Figure 2: Number and rate of young people under supervision on an average day, by supervision type, 2016–17 to 2020–21

This line graph shows the number and rate of young people under supervision, community-based supervision and detention over the 5 years from 2016–17 to 2020–21 for Queensland. It shows that rates peaked in 2018–19, then a decline in the rate under supervision and community-based supervision. The rate fluctuated over the 5-year period for detention.

More information

This fact sheet is part of the Youth justice in Australia 2020–21 release, which includes a report, state and territory fact sheets, and supplementary data tables.

Together, these provide comprehensive information about young people under youth justice supervision in Australia due to their involvement, or alleged involvement, in crime.

For more information see the Youth justice topic.