Statistics on Juvenile Detention in Australia: 1981-2002

• NCJ Number: 201353
• Author(s): Michael Bareja; Kate Charlton
• Date Published: 2003
• Length: 35 pages
• Corporate Author: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Sale Source: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Report (Annual/Periodic)
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: Australian Institute of Criminology Technical and Background Paper Series No. 5. Downloaded on July 15, 2003.

Annotation

This report provides an overview of juvenile detention statistics in Australia for the years spanning 1981 through 2002.

Abstract

In addition to reporting on general juvenile detention statistics for the past 21 years, the report also provides a detailed statistical analysis for the most recent year, 2001-2002. The data contained in the report are referred to as "stock" statistics because they offer information about the numbers of juveniles in detention during the last day of each quarter year: March, June, September, and December. Stock statistics are considered the best source for following trends in juvenile detention across a particular year or cluster of years, but stock statistics may not be representative of the actual daily average of juvenile detainees. General trend analysis revealed that there was a decline in the number of juveniles detained in facilities throughout Australia. In 1981, 1,352 juveniles were detained in custody while by 1989 the number had dropped to 759. Although there was some increase in juvenile detention from 1989 through 1998, a consistent decrease has been apparent since 1998, with only 545 juveniles in detention on June 30, 2002. Statistical data are further broken down by the gender of juveniles in detention facilities, their age, their indigenous status, and their legal status (remanded or sentenced). The picture of female juveniles in detention continues to change, with a decrease evident between 1981 through 1991, and a steady increase apparent from 1991 through 2002. Indigenous juveniles in Australia are approximately 17 times more likely to be detained in detention facilities than their non-Indigenous counterparts. Finally, the report offers a statistical analysis for fiscal year 2001-2002, which shows that the juvenile rate of detention in 2001-2002 was markedly similar to the detention rate for the previous year. Although much of the data are presented in table format, there is some narrative. Many of the statistical tables offer comparisons of the different jurisdictions in Australia. References