SUMMARY OF FINDINGS


PERSONS IN CORRECTIVE SERVICES

Based on first day of the month averages, for the June quarter 2013 there were 30,814 persons in full-time custody and 54,032 persons in community-based corrections. This comprises an increase of 1,257 persons (4%) in full-time custody from the June quarter 2012, and a decrease of 152 persons (0.3%) in community-based corrections for the same period. (Table 1)


Number of prisoners

During the June quarter 2013, the average daily number of full-time prisoners in Australia was 30,812 persons. This was an increase of 356 persons (1%) from the March quarter 2013. (Table 2)

Number of persons in community-based corrections

Community-based corrections orders are non-custodial orders served under the authority of adult corrective services agencies and include restricted movement, reparations (fine options and community service) and supervision orders (parole, bail, and sentenced probation). There was an increase of 642 persons (1%) from the March quarter 2013. (Table 1)

PERSONS IN CUSTODY

Rates per 100,000 adults

Nationally, the June quarter 2013 average daily imprisonment rate was 173 prisoners per 100,000 adult population, an increase of 3% from the June quarter 2012. The Northern Territory had the highest imprisonment rate (860 prisoners per 100,000 adult population), followed by Western Australia (262) and New South Wales (176).

The Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania had the lowest imprisonment rates (91 and 117 prisoners per 100,000 adult population respectively).

Victoria and South Australia recorded the largest proportional increases in imprisonment rates from the June quarter 2012 (both 6%). Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory recorded the largest proportional decreases (9% and 5% respectively). (Table 3)

Sex

The average daily number of full-time prisoners in Australia in the June quarter 2013 was 28,466 males and 2,346 females. This represents an increase in the average daily number of males in custody of 4% (1,130) and females 9% (200) from the June quarter 2012. The average daily imprisonment rate for males was 325 prisoners per 100,000 adult male population; more than 12 times the rate for females (26 female prisoners per 100,000 adult female population). (Tables 4 & 5)


Type of full-time custody

The average daily number of prisoners in secure prison custody in the June quarter 2013 was 24,073 (78% of prisoners in full-time custody). Open prison custody comprised 6,739 prisoners (22%).

Excluding Tasmania, which has recommenced open custody sentencing, the states with the highest proportion of prisoners in secure custody were Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and South Australia (97%, 91% and 90% respectively). (Table 6)


Legal status

The average number of prisoners in full-time custody on the first day of each month in the June quarter 2013 was 30,814, comprising an average of 23,154 (75%) sentenced and 7,659 (25%) unsentenced prisoners. Sentenced prisoners increased by 1% from the previous quarter and 3% from the June quarter 2012.

Unsentenced prisoners increased by 2% from the previous quarter and 8% from the June quarter 2012. South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory had the highest proportions of unsentenced prisoners (34% and 31% respectively). The lowest proportions of unsentenced prisoners were recorded in Victoria (19%) and Western Australia (21%). (Table 8)

Sentenced prisoner receptions

There were 8,598 sentenced prisoner receptions into full-time custody in Australia in the June quarter 2013; an increase of 2% (159) from the March quarter 2013 and an increase of 5% (439) from the June quarter 2012. (Table 10)


Periodic detention

Periodic detention is a form of custody or order where a sentenced prisoner is required to be held in custody on a part-time basis. This type of custody order is currently only used in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. This sentencing option has been discontinued in New South Wales from October 2010, but some prisoners are still undertaking pre-existing sentences.

During the June quarter 2013, there was an average daily number of 8 persons in New South Wales and 58 persons in the Australian Capital Territory held in periodic detention. (Table 11)


Federal prisoners

In the June quarter 2013, there were 848 federal sentenced prisoners in Australia based on first day of the month figures, a decrease of 12% from the June quarter 2012 and a decrease of 7% from the March quarter 2013. Just over half (437) of the federal prisoners were sentenced in New South Wales.

The two states with the largest decrease in federal sentenced prisoners over the twelve months to the June quarter 2013 were Western Australia (80 persons or 44%) and Queensland (42 persons or 30%). The largest increase over the same period was recorded in Victoria (31 persons or 25%). (Table 12)


Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners

The average daily number of full-time Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult prisoners in Australia in the June quarter 2013 was 8,533, comprising 7,754 (91%) males and 779 (9%) females.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males in custody increased 7% (531 persons) and females 8% (56 persons) from the June quarter 2012. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners represented 28% of the total full-time prisoner population in the June quarter 2013. The total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population aged 18 years and over at 30 June 2011 was 2% of the Australian population.

Three states accounted for approximately 73% of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoner population: New South Wales (2,331), Western Australia (2,011) and Queensland (1,881). (Table 13)

The national average daily Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate in the June quarter 2013 was 2,364 per 100,000 adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, an increase of 1% from the previous quarter and 4% from the June quarter 2012.

The imprisonment rate for males increased from the June quarter 2012 by 4% to 4,385 per 100,000 adult male Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. The imprisonment rate for females increased 5% to 423 females per 100,000 adult female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population over the same period. The imprisonment rate for males is more than 10 times the rate for females.

Different age profiles of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous population can affect imprisonment rate numbers. The national age standardised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate from the annual Prisoner Census conducted at 30 June 2012 was 15 times higher (1,914 per 100,000 adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population) than the rate for non-Indigenous persons (129 per 100,000 adult non-Indigenous population). Further information on the comparison of imprisonment rates between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous populations are published in Prisoners in Australia, 2012 (cat. no. 4517.0).

Based on daily averages, the highest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate for the June quarter 2013 was recorded in Western Australia (4,092 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners per 100,000 adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population), followed by the Northern Territory (2,909) and South Australia (2,588). The lowest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate was recorded in Tasmania (510), followed by Victoria (1,660).

The largest proportional increases in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate from the June quarter 2012 were recorded in Victoria and Queensland (both 9%). The largest proportional decrease over the same period was recorded in Tasmania (5%). (Table 14)

Of the full-time Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoner population, 74% (6,359) were sentenced and 26% (2,200) unsentenced in the June quarter 2013. Unsentenced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners increased 1% (22) from the March quarter 2013, and increased 12% (242) from the June quarter 2012. Sentenced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners increased 2% (123) from the March quarter 2013, and 6% (347) from the June quarter 2012. (Table 15)


PERSONS IN COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONS

Rates per 100,000 adults

Nationally, the rate of persons in community-based corrections was 304 persons per 100,000 adult population for the June quarter 2013, based on first day of the month figures. This was a decrease of 2% from the June quarter 2012 (311 persons per 100,000 adults). The largest decreases from the June quarter 2012 were recorded in South Australia (7%), and Queensland (4%), whilst the largest increases were recorded in the Northern Territory (11%) and Tasmania (6%).

Sex

Based on first day of the month averages, there were 54,032 persons in community-based corrections in Australia in the June quarter 2013, of these 44,355 (82%) were male and 9,656 (18%) were female.

In the June quarter 2013, the rate of community-based corrections for males was 506 per 100,000 adult male population compared to 107 females per 100,000 adult female population. The community-based corrections rate for males was more than four times that of females.


Type of orders

In the June quarter 2013, there were 8,321 persons serving community service orders, an increase of 100 persons (1%) from the June quarter 2012. The largest decreases in numbers over this period were recorded in South Australia (174 persons or 18%) and Queensland (67 persons or 4%). The largest increase was recorded in Tasmania (154 persons or 13%).

There were 12,566 persons on parole in the June quarter 2013, an increase of 104 persons (1%) from the June quarter 2012. The largest increases in numbers over this period were recorded in New South Wales (118 persons or 3%), Western Australia (104 persons or 27%), and the Northern Territory (21 persons or 24%). Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria accounted for approximately 86% of persons serving parole orders. Queensland (94 persons or 2%) and Victoria (77 persons or 4%) recorded decreases in parole orders from the June quarter 2012. (Table 19)


Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons in community-based corrections

Based on first day of the month averages, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons in community-based corrections for the June quarter 2013 was 11,106; an increase of 4% (381 persons) from the previous quarter. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders represented 21% of the total number of persons in community-based corrections in the June quarter 2013.

Approximately 75% of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-based corrections population was located in three states: New South Wales (3,424), Queensland (3,397) and Western Australia (1,471). (Table 20)