NCJ Number
221309
Date Published
2007
Length
49 pages
Annotation
This overview of juveniles in detention in Australia on a quarterly basis from 1981 through 2006 focuses on the number and rates of Indigenous youth in detention.
Abstract
Detention rates for all youth ages 10 to 17 have decreased 55 percent since 1981. On June 30, 1981, there were approximately 65 detainees per 100,000 population compared with approximately 29 per 100,000 population on June 30, 2006. The largest decline in detention rates occurred between 1981 and 2002. Since then, rates have stabilized. Since 1981, detention rates for both sexes have decreased, with a 46-percent decrease for boys detained and a 78-percent decline for girls. On June 30, 2006, 92 percent of all detained juveniles were boys. Regarding Indigenous youth ages 10-17 there has been a 24-percent decrease in their detention rate since 1994. The greatest detention-rate decline for Indigenous Australian youth occurred between 1997 and 2002; the rate has stabilized since 2003. Detention rates for non-Indigenous Australian youth have declined 38 percent since 1994. The overrepresentation of Indigenous youth in detention compared to non-Indigenous youth remains high, as Indigenous youth were 21 times more likely to be detained on June 30, 2006, compared with non-Indigenous youth. Across Australia, the proportion of youth in detention compared to those under incarceration sentences has generally been approximately 50 percent since 2002, although this percentage was slightly higher during 2005-06. The dataset for juveniles in detention was compiled from reports submitted quarterly by the relevant juvenile custodial authorities in each Australian jurisdiction. 14 figures, 26 tables, and 13 references