Tasmania
This section summarises key findings of young people under youth justice supervision for Tasmania, including the number and rate of young people under community-based supervision and in detention. It also summarises data on young people by age, sex, Indigenous status, legal status, time under supervision and contains trends.
Impact of COVID-19 on youth justice data
This report includes data from March 2020 to June 2022, 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 and more research is required.
Number and rate
On an average day in 2024–25, in Tasmania:
- 163 young people aged 10 and over were under youth justice supervision (Table S136a)
- 9 in 10 (91%) were supervised in the community (Table S136b), and the rest (10%) in detention (Table S136c) (the numbers may not sum to 100% as some young people experience both types of supervision within the same year)
- the rate of supervision was 20 per 10,000 young people aged 10–17 (Table S137a)
- 18 per 10,000 young people aged 10–17 were under community-based supervision (Table S137b), and 3 per 10,000 were in detention (Table S137c).
Age and sex
On an average day in 2024–25, in Tasmania:
- 68% (110) of those under supervision were aged 10–17, and the rest were 18 and over
- 70% of those under supervision were male
- Males and females under supervision were most likely to be aged 18 years and over (Table S136a).
Figure 16.1: Number of young people under supervision (any type) on an average day, by age, sex and Indigenous status, Tasmania, 2024–25
This interactive population pyramid shows that the age distribution of males and females was broadly similar, however, males under supervision were slightly older on average than females.
Notes:
- Age categories are not presented where they represent averages that are equal to or rounded to 0.0.
- Total includes young people of unknown age, sex and Indigenous status.
- Number of young people under community-based supervision and in detention may not sum to total number under supervision as young people may be under community-based supervision and in detention on the same day and may be in different age groups.
- 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, then the average daily number under supervision will reflect this. Average daily data broken down by age will not be comparable to Youth justice in Australia releases prior to 2019–20.
- The equivalent 'during the year' table or unique counts of young people is not published due to small numbers, confidentiality, and/or reliability concerns.
First Nations young people
On an average day in 2024–25, in Tasmania:
- First Nations young people made up 11% of those aged 10–17 in the general population, but 39% (or 43) of those aged 10–17 under supervision (Tables S136a and S143)
- 40% of young people aged 10–17 under community-based supervision were First Nations (40% or 38) similar to 33% of those in detention (33% or 5) (Tables S136b and S136c)
- First Nations over-representation was similar in community-based supervision (about 5 times the non-Indigenous rate) and detention (about 4 times the non-Indigenous rate) (Table S137b).
- First Nations young people aged 10–17 were about 5 times as likely as non-Indigenous young people to be under supervision (70 per 10,000 compared with 14 per 10,000) (Table S137a)
Time under supervision
In 2024–25, in Tasmania:
- completed periods of supervision lasted a median length of 269 days (about 38 weeks) (Table S29)
- when all time spent under supervision during the year is considered, young people spent an average of 223 days (about 32 weeks) under supervision (Table S30).
Sentenced and unsentenced detention
On an average day in 2024–25, in Tasmania:
- 85% of 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 (Table S108a)
- about 1 in 6 (17%) young people in detention were serving a sentence (proportions might not sum to 100% because some young people were in sentenced and unsentenced detention on the same day) (Table S108a).
Trends to 2024–25
Over the 5 years to 2024–25, on an average day in Tasmania:
- the number of young people under supervision rose overall by 37% from 118 in 2020-21 to 163 in 2024-25 (Table S14a), while the rate rose from 15 to 20 per 10,000 young people aged 10–17 (Table S15a)
- in community-based supervision, the number rose overall by 35% (Table S136b), while the rate increased from 14 to 18 per 10,000 (Table S48a)
- in detention, the number rose from 9.4 in 2020-21 to 16 in 2024-25 (Table S136c), while the rate rose overall from 2 to 3 per 10,000 (Table S86a)
- the rate for First Nations young people under supervision rose overall from 45 to 70 per 10,000 (Table S12a).
Figure 16.2: Rate of young people aged 10–17 under supervision on an average day, by supervision type, Tasmania, 2020–21 to 2024–25
The graph shows a decline in the rate under supervision and community-based supervision in the first year, followed by an increase from 2021–22 onwards, while the rate for detention increased overall.
Notes:
- Total includes young people of unknown age, sex and Indigenous status.
- Number of young people under community-based supervision and in detention may not sum to total number under supervision as young people may be under community-based supervision and in detention on the same day and may be in different age groups.
- 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, then the average daily number under supervision will reflect this. Average daily data broken down by age will not be comparable to Youth justice in Australia releases prior to 2019–20.
- The equivalent 'during the year' table or unique counts of young people is not published due to due to small numbers, confidentiality, and/or reliability concerns.
- Rates are number of young people per 10,000 relevant population.
Source: Youth Justice National Minimum Data Set 2024–25
More information
This fact sheet is part of the Youth justice in Australia 2024–25 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.