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Western Australia

Snapshot at 30 June, 2016

• The number of adult prisoners in Western Australian prisons was 6,329, an increase of 14% (774 prisoners) from 2015. This was the highest percentage increase in prisoners for all states and territories. (Table 14)

• The adult imprisonment rate was 314 prisoners per 100,000 adult population, an increase from 278 prisoners per 100,000 adult population in 2015. (Table 18)

• Three in five prisoners (60% or 3,783 prisoners) had previously been imprisoned under sentence. (Table 13)

• The most common offence/charge was acts intended to cause injury (20% or 1,258 prisoners), followed by unlawful entry with intent (16% or 1,037 prisoners) and illicit drug offences (13% or 800 prisoners). (Table 15)

• Males comprised 90% (5,698 prisoners) of the total prisoner population. (Table 13)

• From 30 June 2015, the male imprisonment rate increased from 500 to 562 prisoners per 100,000 male adult population, and the female imprisonment rate increased from 53 to 63 prisoners per 100,000 female adult population. These were the highest rates since 2006. (Table 14)

• The median age of adult prisoners was 34 years of age. (Table 13)

• Overseas born prisoners accounted for 16% (1,033 prisoners) of the Western Australian adult prisoner population, with the largest proportion from New Zealand (234 prisoners or 23% of overseas born prisoners) followed by United Kingdom (203 prisoners or 20% of overseas born prisoners). (Table 21)

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders comprised 38% (2,403 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 13)

• The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander age standardised imprisonment rate was 16 times the non-Indigenous age standardised imprisonment rate (3,383 prisoners per 100,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult population compared to 206 prisoners per 100,000 adult non-Indigenous population). (Table 17)

• Unsentenced prisoners comprised 29% (1,863 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 13)

• The median time spent on remand by unsentenced prisoners was 2.7 months. Time on remand as reported in the Prisoner Census is time spent on remand as at 30 June 2016, and not the total time on remand. Time on remand is influenced by a number of factors, particularly the time it takes for a case to come before a court. (Table 31)

• The median aggregate sentence length for sentenced prisoners was 2.5 years. (Table 25)