Youth justice in Australia 2024–25

First entry to supervision

First entry to supervision refers to the first time a young person came under youth justice supervision and includes periods of supervision that occurred before the reference period (2024–25).

Entry to supervision

About one-third (36%) of young people under youth justice supervision in 2024–25 were new to supervision in that year. The remaining others (64%) had been supervised in a previous year (Table S17). 

About one-third (31%) of First Nations young people were new to youth justice supervision in 2024–25 and more than 2 in 3 (69%) had been under supervision in a previous year.

Around 2 in 5 (42%) non-Indigenous young people were new to youth justice supervision in 2024–25 and about 3 in 5 (58%) had been under supervision in a previous year.

Of young people under community-based supervision, 68% had been supervised (under any type of supervision) in a previous year, compared with 57% of those in detention (Tables S53 and S91).

Age at first supervision 

Among all young people who were supervised during 2024–25 (Figure 8.1; Table S19):

• almost three-quarters (73%) had first entered youth justice supervision when they were aged 14–17
• about one-quarter (22%) had first entered supervision when they were aged 10–13
• 4.8% had first entered supervision when they were aged 18 and over.

Young people who were supervised in 2024–25 were most likely to be aged 14–17 when they first entered supervision in all states and territories, ranging from 68% in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, to 81% in New South Wales (Table S19). 

Western Australia had the highest proportion of young people who first entered supervision when aged 10–13 (32%), while Victoria had the highest proportion who first entered supervision when aged 18 and over (20%) (likely a result of Victoria’s ‘dual track’ sentencing system). 

About a third (30%) of First Nations young people under supervision in 2024–25 were first supervised when aged 10–13 (Table S19). The most common age for first entry to youth justice supervision for First Nations young people was 14 (Table S18).

Almost 1 in 6 (13%) non-Indigenous young people under supervision in 2024–25 were first supervised when aged 10–13 (Table S19). The most common age for first entry to youth justice supervision for non-Indigenous young people was 15 (Table S18).

First type of supervision

Among all those who were supervised during 2024–25, the most common first types of supervision were remand (a type of unsentenced detention) at 36% and probation and similar (a type of sentenced community-based supervision) at 24% (Figure 8.2).

For young people entering supervision for the first time when aged 10–13 the most common types of supervision were remand, police-referred detention, and supervised or conditional bail (and other unsentenced supervision) (Figure 8.2). 

For those entering supervision for the first time aged 14–17, the most common type of first supervision was remand and probation and similar. 

For those entering supervision for the first time aged 18 and over, the most common type of first supervision was supervised or conditional bail (and other unsentenced supervision).

Very few young people under youth justice supervision were given sentenced detention as their first type of supervision (0.4% overall, and 2.6% of those aged 18 and over) (Table S20).