SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

PERSONS IN CORRECTIVE SERVICES

The Corrective Services, Australia publication presents data for two different populations; persons in full-time custody and persons in community-based corrections. These populations cannot be compared directly, however they are presented together to provide an overview of persons in Corrective Services. For the community-based corrections population, offenders may be counted more than once if they have two or more different types of community-based corrections orders operating simultaneously.

	Jun Qtr 16	Mar Qtr 16 to Jun Qtr 16 % change	Jun Qtr 15 to Jun Qtr 16 % change
Persons in full-time custody	38,685	1.8%	7.6%
Persons in community-based corrections	64,977	3.1%	11.9%

Number of persons in custody

In the June quarter 2016, the average daily number of full-time prisoners in Australia was 38,685. This was an increase of:

• 2% (689 prisoners) from the March quarter 2016; and
• 8% (2,736 prisoners) from the June quarter 2015. (Table 1)

From the March quarter 2016, there were increases in prisoner numbers across all states and territories except for the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, which both had slight decreases of 3% (46 and 11 persons respectively). (Table 1)

In the June quarter 2016, the largest contributors to the national prisoner population were:

• New South Wales (33% or 12,657 persons);
• Queensland (20% or 7,752 persons);
• Victoria (17% or 6,476 persons); and
• Western Australia (16% or 6,193 persons). (Table 1)

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), supervision orders (parole, bail, sentenced probation) and post-sentence supervision orders.

The average daily number of persons serving community-based corrections orders increased to 64,977 persons in the June quarter 2016. This was an increase of:

• 3% (1,942 persons) from the March quarter 2016; and
• 12% (6,910 persons) from the June quarter 2015. (Table 1)

From the March quarter 2016, there were increases across all states and territories in the number of persons serving community-based orders, except for Western Australia and Tasmania who both decreased marginally (down 4 persons and 22 persons, respectively).

The largest quarterly increases were recorded in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria (up by 5% (825 persons), 3% (566 persons) and 3% (445 persons), respectively). (Table 1)

Three states accounted for over three-quarters of the national number of persons in community-based corrections:

• Queensland (29% or 18,617 persons);
• New South Wales (28% or 18,227 persons); and
• Victoria (22% or 14,051 persons). (Table 1)

PERSONS IN CUSTODY

Sex

The average daily number of males and females in custody both increased from the June quarter 2015 (by 8% or 2,487 prisoners and 9% or 248 prisoners respectively). (Table 1)

During the June quarter 2016, the states and territories with the highest proportion of male prisoners were New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory (each with 93%). Western Australia had the lowest proportion of male prisoners (with 90%). (Table 1)

The average daily imprisonment rate for males in the June quarter 2016 was 388 prisoners per 100,000 adult male population; approximately 12 times the rate for females (33 female prisoners per 100,000 adult female population). (Table 5)

Type of full-time custody

Prisoners in full-time custody consists of those under secure custody and those in open custody.

Secure custody refers to prisoners housed in medium or maximum security custodial facilities requiring them to be confined by a secure physical barrier.

During the June quarter 2016, the average daily number of prisoners in secure custody was 30,356 (78% of prisoners in full-time custody), an increase of 7% (2,027 prisoners) from the June quarter 2015. Of all states and territories:

• Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory had the highest proportion of prisoners in secure custody, each with 98% (533 prisoners and 402 prisoners, respectively); and
• The Northern Territory had the lowest proportion of prisoners in secure custody (55% or 936 prisoners). (Table 6)

Open custody refers to prisoners housed in minimum security custodial facilities that do not require them to be confined by a secure parameter or physical barrier, irrespective of whether a physical barrier exists.

There were 8,329 prisoners (22% of prisoners in full-time custody) in open custody in the June quarter 2016, an increase of 2% (192 prisoners) from the March quarter 2016 and an increase of 9% (709 prisoners) from the June quarter 2015. (Table 6)

The average daily imprisonment rates (per 100,000 adult population) for persons in secure custody and open custody have both increased (by 6% and 8%, respectively) since the June quarter 2015. (Table 7)

Legal status

Legal status refers to where a person may be either sentenced or unsentenced depending on the warrant(s) or court order(s) that provide the legal basis for the administration of the person through the criminal justice system.

In the June quarter 2016, the average number of full-time prisoners on the first day of the month was 38,644, of which:

• 68% (26,407 prisoners) were sentenced; and
• 31% (12,159 prisoners) were unsentenced. (Table 8)

Unsentenced prisoners increased nationally by 5% (627 prisoners) from the March quarter 2016 and 25% (2,416 prisoners) from the June quarter 2015. The annual increase in unsentenced prisoners accounted for the vast majority (89%) of the overall annual increase in prisoners in Australia. (Table 8)



Sentenced prisoner receptions

Sentenced prisoner receptions refer to:

• persons entering into corrective services custody from the community, having received a sentence of imprisonment as an outcome of a court proceeding;
• persons who are sentenced to custody while in custody on remand (i.e. changed legal status from an unsentenced to a sentenced prisoner); and
• persons entering custody as a result of defaulting on the payment of a fine.

Sentenced prisoners in custody who receive a further sentence of imprisonment are not counted as sentenced receptions.

In the June quarter 2016, there were 10,084 sentenced prisoner receptions into full-time prison custody, representing an increase of 7% (624 prisoners) from the March quarter 2016 and an increase of 8% (761 prisoners) from the June quarter 2015. (Table 10)

Federal prisoners

Federal prisoners are persons charged and sentenced under a Commonwealth statute or transferred from another country to serve their sentence in Australia.

During the June quarter 2016, the average daily number of federal sentenced prisoners in Australia was 972. This represented an increase of 10% (91 prisoners) from the June quarter 2015. (Table 12)

New South Wales continued to account for nearly half of all federal prisoners, representing 44% (430 prisoners). (Table 12)

Rates per 100,000 adult population

Nationally, the average daily imprisonment rate was 208 prisoners per 100,000 adult population in the June quarter 2016. Most states and territories recorded increases in their imprisonment rate from the March quarter 2016, except for Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. (Table 3)

In the June quarter 2016, the Northern Territory had the highest average daily imprisonment rate (934 prisoners per 100,000 adult population) and the Australian Capital Territory had the lowest average daily imprisonment rate (134 prisoners per 100,000 adult population). (Table 3)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners

The average daily number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult prisoners during the June quarter 2016 was 10,718. This was an increase of:

• 2% (160 prisoners) from the March quarter 2016; and
• 8% (778 prisoners) from the June quarter 2015. (Table 1)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners represented 28% of the total full-time adult prisoner population, whilst accounting for approximately 2% of the total Australian population aged 18 years and over (based on Australian Demographic Statistics (cat. no. 3101.0) and Estimates and Projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2001 to 2026 (cat. no. 3238.0)). (Table 1)

In the June quarter 2016, three states continued to account for nearly three-quarters of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoner population: New South Wales (29% or 3,081 prisoners), Queensland (23% or 2,494 prisoners) and Western Australia (22% or 2,367 prisoners). (Table 1)

The national average daily Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate for the June quarter 2016 was 2,373 prisoners per 100,000 adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. This represented an increase of 5% from the June quarter 2015.

During the June quarter 2016, the highest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rates were recorded in:

• Western Australia (3,937);
• Northern Territory (2,958); and
• South Australia (2,659). (Table 14)

From the March quarter 2016, the largest increases in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate were in Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales (increasing by 192, 87 and 56 prisoners per 100,000 adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, respectively). (Table 14)

In the June quarter 2016, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners based on first day of the month figures was 10,723 prisoners, of which:

• 69% (7,363 prisoners) were sentenced; and
• 31% (3,328 prisoners) were unsentenced. (Table 15)

Unsentenced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners increased by 25% (671 prisoners) from the June quarter 2015. This reflects the annual increase for all unsentenced prisoners of 25% (2,416 prisoners). (Tables 8 and 15)

PERSONS IN COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONS

All reported daily averages for number of persons serving community-based corrections orders are based on first day of the month figures. For more information, please refer to the Explanatory Notes, paragraphs 2 and 12.

Sex

In the June quarter 2016, the average daily number of persons serving community-based corrections orders was 64,977. Of these, 82% or 52,980 persons were male (a rate of 577 males per 100,000 adult male population) and 18% or 11,979 persons were female (a rate of 127 females per 100,000 adult female population). (Tables 1 and 18)

Type of orders

In the June quarter 2016, the three most prevalent order types in Australia were:

• Sentenced probation (56% or 39,149 persons);
• Parole (20% or 14,124 persons); and
• Community service orders (15% or 10,667 persons). (Table 19)

From the March quarter 2016, there were increases across all order types except for bail orders. The largest increase was in persons serving sentenced probation orders (up 3% or 1,069 persons), with this increase accounting for nearly half (49%) of the overall increase in community-based corrections orders. Sentenced probation orders increased 14% (4,719 persons) from the June quarter 2015. (Table 19)

The average daily number of persons on parole in the June quarter 2016 was 14,124, an increase of 4% (551 persons) from the March quarter 2016 and an increase of 12% (1,539 persons) from the June quarter 2015. The largest increase in parole orders annually was recorded in New South Wales (up 18% or 786 persons), followed by Queensland (up 14% or 721 persons). (Table 19)

The average daily number of persons serving community service orders in the June quarter 2016 was 10,667, an increase of 4% (393 persons) from the March quarter 2016 and an increase of 14% (1,318 persons) from the June quarter 2015. The largest increase in community service orders annually was recorded in Victoria (up 40% or 507 persons), followed by Queensland (up 23% or 523 persons). (Table 19)

Rates per 100,000 adult population

In the June quarter 2016, the daily average national rate of persons in community-based corrections was 349 persons per 100,000 adult population, a quarterly increase of 3% (9 persons per 100,000 adult population) and an annual increase 10% (33 persons per 100,000 adult population). (Table 18)



Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons in community-based corrections

For the June quarter 2016, the average daily number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons in community-based corrections was 12,741, representing 20% of the total community-based corrections population. (Table 20)

Nationally, there were increases of 3% (391 persons) from the March quarter 2016 and 12% (1,415 persons) from the June quarter 2015. (Table 20)

Three-quarters of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-based corrections population were located in three states: Queensland (33% or 4,247 persons), New South Wales (31% or 3,922 persons) and Western Australia (11% or 1,354 persons). (Table 20)