IMPRISONMENT RATES

The following imprisonment rates are age standardised. When comparing rates of imprisonment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous prisoners, it is preferable to use age standardised rates (for further information see Explanatory Notes, paragraphs 59-64).

The age standardised imprisonment rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners at 30 June 2013 was 1,959 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners per 100,000 adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. The equivalent rate for non-Indigenous prisoners was 131 non-Indigenous prisoners per 100,000 adult non-Indigenous population (Table 18).

The rate of imprisonment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners was 15 times higher than the rate for non-Indigenous prisoners at 30 June 2013, which was consistent with 2012. The highest ratio of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander to non-Indigenous imprisonment rates in Australia was in Western Australia (21 times higher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners). Tasmania had the lowest ratio (four times higher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners) (Table 18).