4517.0 - Prisoners in Australia, 2017 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 08/12/2017   
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Northern Territory

Snapshot at 30 June 2017

Graph Image for PRISONERS, Northern Territory, 30 June 2007 to 30 June 2017

Source(s): Prisoners in Australia


  • The number of adult prisoners in Northern Territory prisons was 1,601, a decrease of 4% (65 prisoners) from 2016. This was the only state or territory to decrease. (Table 15)
  • The adult imprisonment rate was 878 prisoners per 100,000 adult population, a decrease from 923 prisoners per 100,000 adult population at 30 June 2016. The Northern Territory continues to have the highest imprisonment rate of any state or territory, with the national rate averaging 216 prisoners per 100,000 adult population. (Table 19)
  • Seven in ten prisoners (72% or 1,155 prisoners) had previously been imprisoned under sentence. (Table 14)
  • The most common offence/charge was Acts intended to cause injury (47% or 745 prisoners) followed by Sexual assault (11% or 173 prisoners). (Table 16)

Sex
  • Males comprised 93% (1,493 prisoners) of the total prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • Since 30 June 2016, the male imprisonment rate decreased from 1,605 to 1,594 prisoners per 100,000 male adult population. The female imprisonment rate also decreased, down from 148 to 125 prisoners per 100,000 female adult population. (Table 15)

Age
  • The median age of adult prisoners was 34 years of age. (Table 14)

Country of Birth
  • Overseas-born prisoners accounted for 4% (68 prisoners) of the Northern Territory adult prisoner population, with the largest proportion from the New Zealand (14 prisoners or 21% of overseas born prisoners). Of all states and territories, the Northern Territory had the lowest proportion of overseas-born prisoners. (Table 22)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Prisoners
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders comprised 84% (1,349 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. This was the largest proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners of any state or territory, with a national average of 27% in 2017. (Table 14)
  • The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander age standardised imprisonment rate was 13 times more than the non-Indigenous age standardised imprisonment rate (2,378 prisoners per 100,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult population compared to 186 prisoners per 100,000 adult non-Indigenous population). (Table 18)

Legal Status
  • Unsentenced prisoners comprised 29% (464 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • The median time spent on remand by unsentenced prisoners was 1.7 months. (Table 32)
  • The median aggregate sentence length for sentenced prisoners was 1.5 years, which was the lowest of all states and territories. (Table 26)