SUMMARY OF FINDINGS


PERSONS IN CORRECTIVE SERVICES

Based on first day of the month averages, for the March quarter 2013 there were 30,323 persons in full-time custody and 53,413 persons in community-based corrections. This comprises an increase of 1097 persons (4%) in full-time custody from the March quarter 2012, and a decrease of 350 persons (1%) in community-based corrections for the same period.


Number of prisoners

During the March quarter 2013, the average daily number of full-time prisoners in Australia was 30,456 persons. This was an increase of 635 persons (2%) from the December quarter 2012.

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). In the March quarter 2013, there were 53,413 persons in community-based corrections in Australia (based on first day of the month averages), a decrease of 719 persons (1%) from the December quarter 2012.

PERSONS IN CUSTODY

Rates per 100,000 adults

Nationally, the March quarter 2013 average daily imprisonment rate was 172 prisoners per 100,000 adult population, an increase of 3% from the March quarter 2012. The Northern Territory had the highest imprisonment rate (889 prisoners per 100,000 adult population), followed by Western Australia (263) and New South Wales (175).

The Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania had the lowest imprisonment rates (85 and 115 prisoners per 100,000 adult population respectively).

The Northern Territory and Victoria recorded the largest proportional increases in imprisonment rates from the March quarter 2012 (both 8%). The Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania recorded the largest proportional decreases (12% and 11% respectively).

Sex

The average daily number of full-time prisoners in Australia in the March quarter 2013 was 30,456, comprising 28,167 males and 2,289 females. This represents an increase in the average daily number of males in custody of 3% (927) and females 11% (226) from the March quarter 2012. The average daily imprisonment rate for males was 323 prisoners per 100,000 adult male population; more than 12 times the rate for females (26 female prisoners per 100,000 adult female population).


Type of full-time custody

The average daily number of prisoners in secure prison custody in the March quarter 2013 was 23,887 (78% of prisoners in full-time custody). Open prison custody comprised 6,570 prisoners (22%).

Following Tasmania, which does not have any open security prisons, the Australian Capital Territory had the highest proportion of prisoners in secure custody (98%), followed by Queensland (92%) and South Australia (90%).


Legal status

The average number of prisoners in full-time custody on the first day of each month in the March quarter 2013 was 30,323, comprising an average of 22,845 (75%) sentenced and 7,477 (25%) unsentenced prisoners. Sentenced prisoners increased by less than 1% from the previous quarter and 3% from the March quarter 2012.

Unsentenced prisoners increased by 6% from both the previous quarter and from the March quarter 2012. The Australian Capital Territory and South Australia had the highest proportions of unsentenced prisoners (both 33%). The lowest proportions of unsentenced prisoners were recorded in Tasmania (17%), Western Australia and Victoria (both 20%).

Sentenced prisoner receptions

There were 8,439 sentenced prisoner receptions into full-time custody in Australia in the March quarter 2013; a decrease of 3% (269) from the December quarter 2012 and an increase of 4% (357) from the March quarter 2012.


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 March quarter 2013 there was an average daily number of 8 persons in New South Wales and 69 persons in the Australian Capital Territory held in periodic detention.


Federal prisoners

In the March quarter 2013, there were 911 federal sentenced prisoners in Australia based on first day of the month figures, a decrease of 4% from the March quarter 2012 and a decrease of 6% from the December quarter 2012. Just over half (456) of the federal prisoners were sentenced in New South Wales.

The two states with the largest increase in federal sentenced prisoners over the twelve months to the March quarter 2013 were New South Wales (21 persons or 5%) and Victoria (19 persons or 16%). The largest decrease over the same period was recorded in Western Australia (61 persons or 33%).


Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners

The average daily number of full-time Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult prisoners in Australia in the March quarter 2013 was 8,462, comprising 7,703 (91%) males and 759 (9%) females.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males in custody increased 7% (509 persons) and females 12% (80 persons) from the March quarter 2012. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners represented 28% of the total full-time prisoner population in the March 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 (2,299), Western Australia (1,995) and Queensland (1,849).

The national average daily Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate in the March quarter 2013 was 2,344 per 100,000 adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, an increase of 1% from the previous quarter and 4% from the March quarter 2012.

The imprisonment rate for males increased from the March quarter 2012 by 4% to 4,356 per 100,000 adult male Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. The imprisonment rate for females increased 9% to 412 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 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 March quarter 2013 was recorded in Western Australia (4,059 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners per 100,000 adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population), followed by the Northern Territory (2,951) and South Australia (2,620). The lowest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate was recorded in Tasmania (547), followed by the Australian Capital Territory (1,339).

The largest proportional increases in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate from the March quarter 2012 were recorded in Victoria (15%) and the Northern Territory (12%). The largest proportional decreases over the same period were recorded in Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory (both 16%).

Of the full-time Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoner population 74% (6,236) were sentenced and 26% (2,178) unsentenced in the March quarter 2013. Unsentenced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners increased 15% (278) from the December quarter 2012, and increased 13% (246) from the March quarter 2012. Sentenced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners increased 1% (46) from the December quarter 2012, and 6% (346) from the March quarter 2012.


PERSONS IN COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONS

Rates per 100,000 adults

Nationally, the rate of persons in community-based corrections was 302 persons per 100,000 adult population for the March quarter 2013 based on first day of the month figures. This was a decrease of 1% from the March quarter 2012 (305 persons per 100,000 adults). The largest decreases from the March quarter 2012 were recorded in South Australia (6%) and Western Australia (5%), whilst the largest increases were recorded in the Northern Territory (9%), Victoria and Tasmania (both 4%).

Sex

Based on first day of the month averages, there were 53,413 persons in community-based corrections in Australia in the March quarter 2013, of these 43,892 (82%) were male and 9,491 (18%) were female.

In the March quarter 2013, the rate of community-based corrections for males was 503 per 100,000 adult male population compared to 106 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 March quarter 2013 there were 8,129 persons serving community service orders, a decrease of 500 persons (6%) from the March quarter 2012. The largest decreases in numbers over this period were recorded in Queensland (233 persons or 13%), New South Wales (200 persons or 7%) and South Australia (169 persons or 17%). The largest increase was recorded in Tasmania (127 persons or 11%).

There were 12,535 persons on parole in the March quarter 2013, an increase of 200 persons (2%) from the March quarter 2012. The largest increases in numbers over this period were recorded in Western Australia (79 persons or 20%), Queensland (68 persons or 1%) and New South Wales (60 persons or 1%). Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria accounted for approximately 86% of persons serving parole orders. South Australia (21 persons or 2%) and Victoria (17 persons or 1%) recorded decreases in parole orders from the March quarter 2012.


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 March quarter was 10,739; a decrease of 1% (147 persons) from the previous quarter. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders represented 20% of the total number of persons in community-based corrections in the March quarter 2013.

Approximately 75% of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-based corrections population was located in three states: New South Wales (3,353), Queensland (3,248) and Western Australia (1,400).