Youth justice in Australia 2023–24

The majority of young people under supervision on an average day in 2023–24 were male (80%) (Figure 4.1; Table S2a). This proportion was higher among those in detention (90%) than among those supervised in the community (77%) (tables S35a and S73a).

Among young people aged 10–17, males (19 per 10,000) were 3 times as likely as females (5.7 per 10,000) to be under supervision on an average day (Table S4a).

Males under supervision substantially outnumbered females in all states and territories. The proportion of young males under supervision on an average day ranged from 73% of young people under supervision in South Australia to 89% in Victoria (Table S2a).

Almost 3 in 4 (73%) young people under supervision on an average day were aged 14–17 (Figure 4.1; Table S7a). The number of young people under supervision was highest among those aged 17 (1,089 young people) (Figure 4.1). Of young people aged 10–17, the rate of young people under supervision was highest among those aged 17 (34 per 10,000) (Table S6a). About one quarter (23%) of young people under supervision on an average day were aged 18 and over and 3.8% were aged 10–13 (Table S7a).

Similarly, most young people under community-based supervision were aged 14–17 (72%) and 18 and over (24%), while a small proportion were aged 10–13 (3.7%) (Table S40a). This was also the case for young people in detention, although there were higher proportions of young people aged 10–13 (4.9%) and 14–17 (81%), and a lower proportion aged 18 and over (14%) (Table S78a).

Figure 4.1: Young people under supervision on an average day, by age and sex, 2023–24 (number)

Notes

1. Age on an average day is calculated based on the age a young person is each day that they are under supervision. If a young person changes age during a period of supervision, the average daily number under supervision will reflect this. Average daily data broken down by age will not be comparable with data in Youth justice in Australia releases before 2019–20.
2. The number of young people on an average day not available for the Northern Territory in 2023–24 for all supervision.

Source: Table S5a.

The age profiles of young people under supervision varied among the states and territories. Western Australia had the largest proportion of young people aged 10–13 under supervision on an average day (7.2%), followed by Queensland (5.6%) (Table S7a).

In Victoria, some young people aged 18–20 may be sentenced to detention in a youth facility (known as the ‘dual track’ system), which results in a comparatively older population, on average (48% aged 18 and over and 0.4% aged 10–13) (Table S7a).

A greater proportion of males were in the older age groups (aged 18 and over) than females (Figure 4.1). In 2023–24, 25% of males under supervision were aged 18 and over, compared with 15% of females (Table S5a).