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

Snapshot at 30 June 2017

Graph Image for PRISONERS, Queensland, 30 June 2007 to 30 June 2017

Source(s): Prisoners in Australia


  • The number of adult prisoners in Queensland prisons was 8,476, an increase of 9% (730 prisoners) from 2016. This was the largest numerical increase in prisoners for all states and territories. (Table 15)
  • The adult imprisonment rate was 222 prisoners per 100,000 adult population, an increase from 206 prisoners per 100,000 adult population in 2016. (Table 19)
  • Just under two-thirds (64% or 5,390 prisoners) of prisoners had previously been imprisoned under sentence. (Table 14)
  • The most common offence/charge was Acts intended to cause injury (25% or 2,111 prisoners) followed by Unlawful entry with intent (13% or 1,114 prisoners) and Illicit drug offences (12% or 1,015 prisoners). (Table 16)

Sex
  • Males comprised 92% (7,782 prisoners) of the total prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • Since 30 June 2016, the male imprisonment rate increased from 382 to 415 prisoners per 100,000 male adult population, while the female imprisonment rate remained steady at 36 prisoners per 100,000 female adult population. (Table 15)

Age
  • The median age of adult prisoners was 33 years of age. (Table 14)

Country of Birth
  • Overseas born prisoners accounted for 12% (1,002 prisoners) of the Queensland adult prisoner population, with the largest proportion from New Zealand (374 prisoners or 37% of overseas born prisoners) followed by the United Kingdom (82 prisoners or 8% of overseas born prisoners). (Table 22)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Prisoners
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders comprised 32% (2,724 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander age standardised imprisonment rate was 11 times more than the non-Indigenous age standardised imprisonment rate (1,780 prisoners per 100,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult population compared to 168 prisoners per 100,000 adult non-Indigenous population). (Table 18)

Legal Status
  • Unsentenced prisoners comprised 30% (2,545 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • The median time spent on remand by unsentenced prisoners was 3.7 months, which was higher than the national average of 3.3 months. (Table 32)
  • The median aggregate sentence length for sentenced prisoners was 3.0 years. (Table 26)