1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2005  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 21/01/2005   
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Contents >> Crime and justice >> Corrective services

Corrective services agencies are responsible for administering those penalties handed down by the criminal courts that require some form of supervision or custody of the offender. This may include imprisonment on either a full-time or part-time basis, community service and other forms of supervised work, home detention, or good behaviour bonds under supervision. Most persons for whom corrective services have responsibility have received a sentence from a criminal court. Corrective service agencies may also be responsible for persons prior to sentencing. Unsentenced persons may be held on remand in correctional facilities or be subject to supervised bail or similar community-based court orders.

All states and territories operate prisons and other types of corrective services. Separate provisions exist in each state and territory for dealing with juvenile offenders. The Australian Government does not operate any prisons or other corrective services, as federal offenders (persons convicted of offences under Commonwealth laws) are supervised by state or territory agencies for correctional purposes. The majority of convicted adult prisoners from the Australian Capital Territory serve their sentences in New South Wales prisons, but local provision is made for the custody of unsentenced prisoners and periodic detainees, and for those under the supervision of community corrections (e.g. probation and parole).

In 2002-03, 12 of the 97 prisons in Australia were privately operated facilities. These prisons operate in conjunction with state operated prisons and are monitored by the corrective services authorities in a similar manner to state operated prisons.

Corrective services oversee prisons, periodic detention and community-based corrections. At March 2004, almost 74,000 persons were serving either a custodial or community-based order in Australia (table 11.28). Of these 31% of persons were in full-time custody and 68% were serving a community-based order. Community-based corrections includes restricted movement, reparation (fine option and community service) and supervision (parole, bail and sentenced probation).


11.28 PERSONS IN CUSTODY AND COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS(a) - March quarter 2004
NSW(b)
Vic.
Qld
SA
WA
Tas.
NT
ACT in ACT(c)
ACT in NSW(b)
ACT total
Aust.(b)
PRISONERS IN FULL-TIME CUSTODY
Males
7,774
3,346
4,866
1,364
2,733
415
715
49
112
161
21,262
Females
557
238
321
88
224
31
18
5
5
10
1,482
Persons
8,331
3,584
5,187
1,452
2,957
446
733
54
117
171
22,744
PERSONS IN PERIODIC DETENTION(d)
Males
676
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
87
. .
87
763
Females
56
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
2
. .
2
58
Persons
733
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
89
. .
89
822
PERSONS WITH COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONS ORDERS(e)
Males
14,099
6,268
9,012
4,793
3,955
802
903
963
. .
963
40,795
Females
2,440
1,376
2,432
1,068
1,159
170
125
163
. .
163
8,934
Persons
16,621
7,972
11,444
5,894
5,115
973
1,028
1,126
. .
1,126
50,172
TOTAL PERSONS UNDER CORRECTIVE SERVICES AUTHORITY(e)
Males
22,549
9,614
13,878
6,157
6,688
1,217
1,618
1,099
112
1,211
62,820
Females
3,053
1,614
2,753
1,156
1,383
201
143
170
5
175
10,474
Persons
25,685
11,556
16,631
7,346
8,072
1,419
1,761
1,269
117
1,386
73,738
(a) Average figures for the first day of each month in the quarter.
(b) Data for NSW include ACT prisoners held in NSW prisons. The ACT in NSW figures are a subset of NSW figures and are not separately counted in the Australian totals.
(c) Refers to unsentenced persons in ACT prison custody and may include some sentenced fine default only prisoners.
(d) Data for persons in periodic detention is collected as average daily.
(e) Includes persons whose sex is unknown.

Source: Corrective Services, Australia, March Quarter 2004 (4512.0).



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