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Corrective Services, Australia

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National and state information about adult prisoners and community based corrections, including legal status, custody type, Indigenous status, sex

Reference period
June Quarter 2023
Released
21/09/2023

Key statistics

  • 42,204 persons were in custody in the June quarter 2023, up 1% (371 persons) from the March quarter 2023.
  • Sentenced prisoners were up 2% (421 persons) for the quarter to 25,788.
  • 79,984 persons were serving community-based corrections (CBC) orders, up 1% (642 persons) from the March quarter 2023.

There were various government restrictions in place across the states and territories due to COVID-19 from March 2020 to February 2022. The restrictions may have had an impact on criminal activity and the justice system.

Persons in custody

There were 42,204 (average daily number) prisoners, up from:

  • 41,833 in the March quarter 2023
  • 40,627 in the June quarter 2022

(a) Based on average daily number.

Imprisonment rates

The imprisonment rate was 206 persons per 100,000 adult population, up from:

  • 205 persons in the March quarter 2023
  • 202 persons in the June quarter 2022

(a) Rate is the number of prisoners per 100,000 adult population. Based on average daily number.

Sex

Of all prisoners:

  • 92% (38,990) were male
  • 8% (3,215) were female

The imprisonment rate for male prisoners was 386 persons per 100,000 adult male population, stable since last quarter.

The imprisonment rate for female prisoners was 31 persons per 100,000 adult female population, up from 30 persons last quarter.

Type of custody

Of all prisoners:

  • 84% (35,267) were in secure custody
  • 16% (6,937) were in open custody

Legal status

39% (16,348) of the 42,231 prisoners (first day of the month) were unsentenced, up from:

  • 16,158 in the March quarter 2023
  • 15,114 in the June quarter 2022

61% (25,788) of the 42,231 prisoners (first day of the month) were sentenced, up from:

  • 25,367 in the March quarter 2023
  • 25,436 in the June quarter 2022

(a) Based on average number on the first day of the month.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners

There were 14,011 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners, up from:

  • 13,716 in the March quarter 2023
  • 12,820 in the June quarter 2022

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rates

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate was 2,470 persons per 100,000 adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, up from:

  • 2,418 in the March quarter 2023
  • 2,315 in the June quarter 2022

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate for male prisoners was 4,528 persons per 100,000 adult male Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, up from 4,445 persons last quarter.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate for female prisoners was 467 persons per 100,000 adult female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, up from 445 persons last quarter.

(a) Rate is the number of prisoners per 100,000 adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. Based on average daily number.

Federal sentenced prisoners

There were 1,130 federal sentenced prisoners, up from:

  • 1,092 in the March quarter 2023
  • 1,101 in the June quarter 2022

Prisoner receptions

The total number of prisoner receptions was 16,504:

  • down from 17,336 in the March quarter 2023
  • up from 15,381 in the June quarter 2022

(a) Total number of prisoner receptions.

Prisoner releases

The total number of prisoner releases was 16,511, up from:

  • 16,155 in the March quarter 2023
  • 15,400 in the June quarter 2022

(a) Total number of prisoner releases.

Community-based corrections

Persons in community-based corrections

There were 79,984 persons serving CBC orders, up from:

  • 79,342 in the March quarter 2023
  • 77,715 in the June quarter 2022

(a) Based on average number on the first day of the month.

Rates for persons in community-based corrections

The rate of persons serving CBC orders was 389 persons per 100,000 adult population:

  • stable from the March quarter 2023
  • up from 387 persons in the June quarter 2022

(a) Rate per 100,000 persons for the state/territory of interest.

Sex

Of all persons serving CBC orders:

  • 81% (64,700) were male
  • 19% (15,248) were female

The rate for male persons serving CBC orders was 641 persons per 100,000 adult male population, up from 640 persons last quarter.

The rate for female persons serving CBC orders was 146 persons per 100,000 adult female population, up from 145 last quarter.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons serving community-based corrections orders

There were 19,561 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons serving CBC orders, up from:

  • 19,060 in the March quarter 2023
  • 18,153 in the June quarter 2022

(a) Based on average number on the first day of the month.

Type of community-based corrections orders

There were 55,618 Sentenced probation orders, up from:

  • 54,809 in the March quarter 2023
  • 53,314 in the June quarter 2022

(a) Based on average number on the first day of the month.

There were 17,317 Parole orders, down from:

  • 17,666 in the March quarter 2023
  • 17,806 in the June quarter 2022

(a) Based on average number on the first day of the month.

There were 12,571 Community service orders, up from:

  • 12,429 in the March quarter 2023
  • 12,269 in the June quarter 2022

(a) Based on average number on the first day of the month.

For information about corrective services data, please refer to the Methodology.

Data downloads

Corrective Services datacubes

Data files

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 4512.0.

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