Youth justice in Australia 2024–25

In 2024–25, young people under youth justice supervision on average spent: 

• 177 days under supervision during the year (Figure 7.3; Table S30)
• 168 days under community-based supervision during the year (Figure 7.3; Table S63)
• 66 days in detention during the year (Figure 7.3; Table S102)
• 55 days in unsentenced detention during the year (Figures 7.4 and 7.5; Table S117)
• 89 days in sentenced detention during the year (Figures 7.4 and 7.5; Table S124). 

When all the time spent under supervision during 2024–25 is considered (including multiple periods of supervision and periods that were not yet completed as at 30 June 2024), young people who were supervised during the year spent about 6 months (a total of 177 days, or 25 weeks), on average, under supervision (Figure 7.3; Table S30).

This time spent under supervision was lowest in Western Australia (131 days) and highest in Tasmania (223 days) (Figure 7.3; Table S30).

Young people spent more time, on average, under community-based supervision during the year (168 days, or about 24 weeks) than in detention (66 days, or about 9 weeks). This varied among the states and territories (Figure 7.3; Tables S102 and S63). The average total time spent:

• under community‑based supervision ranged from 138 days Western Australia to 209 days in Tasmania 
• in detention ranged from 34 days in Western Australia to 106 days in Victoria (Figure 7.3; Tables S102 and S63).

During the year, young people spent much more time, on average, in sentenced detention (88 days in total, or about 13 weeks) than in unsentenced detention (55 days, or nearly 8 weeks) (Tables S124 and S117). This is to be expected, as young people are typically placed in unsentenced detention for relatively short periods while awaiting the outcome of their legal matter or sentencing.

The total amount of time young people spent in unsentenced detention during 2024–25 ranged from 24 days, on average, in Western Australia to 94 days in Queensland (Figure 7.4; Table S117).

The average total time spent in sentenced detention was lowest in South Australia (47 days, and highest in the Australian Capital Territory (142 days) (Figure 7.5; Table S124).

Males spent more time (181 days), on average, under supervision during the year than females (161 days) (Table S30). Males and females spent similar lengths of time, on average, under community-based supervision (166 and 174 days, respectively), but males (74 days) spent more than twice as long in detention as females (34 days) (Tables S63 and S102).

In 2024–25, First Nations young people on average spent:

• 182 days under supervision during the year (Table S30)
• 169 days under community-based supervision during the year (Table S63)
• 67 days in detention during the year (Table S102)
• 56 days in unsentenced detention during the year (Table S117) 
• 78 days in sentenced detention during the year and (Figures 7.4 and 7.5; Table S124).