NCJ Number
212091
Date Published
2005
Length
47 pages
Annotation
This report presents a statistical overview of juveniles in detention in Australia from 1981 through 2004.
Abstract
Data were drawn from the Australian Institute of Criminology’s (AIC) juveniles in detention dataset, a national dataset compiled from reports submitted by juvenile justice authorities throughout Australia. Aggregate information on the number of juveniles detained is presented by gender, age, Indigenous status, and legal status. General trends in juvenile detention in Australia for the period 1981 through 2004 indicate a decline in the number and rate of juveniles detained across the country; the greatest decline occurred between the years 1981 and 1989 when the number of juveniles detained declined 44 percent. Since 1981 there has been a 53 percent decline in the number of male juveniles detained and an 82 percent decline in the number of female juveniles detained in Australia. The proportion of female juvenile detainees has also declined from 17 percent of all juveniles in detention during 1981 to only 8 percent of juvenile detainees in 2004. Since 1994, the rates of juvenile detention in Australia have decreased by 24 percent for Indigenous juveniles and by 50 percent for non-Indigenous juveniles. Indigenous overrepresentation remained high through 2004, with Indigenous youth being 25.6 times more likely than non-Indigenous youth to be held in detention. Finally, a statistical overview of the 2003-2004 financial year is presented that offers information on juveniles remanded or sentenced, juveniles in detention, and persons over the age of 18 years in detention in Australia. Tables, references