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.
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
September Quarter 2023
Released
23/11/2023
Key statistics
- 42,215 persons were in custody in the September quarter 2023, stable since the June quarter 2023
- Unsentenced prisoners were down 1% (166 persons) for the quarter to 16,182
- 81,348 persons were serving community-based corrections (CBC) orders, up 2% (1,364 persons) from the June quarter 2023
Persons in custody
There were 42,215 (average daily number) prisoners:
- stable since 42,204 in the June quarter 2023
- up from 40,907 in the September quarter 2022
(a) Based on average daily number.
Imprisonment rates
The imprisonment rate was 204 persons per 100,000 adult population:
- down from 206 persons in the June quarter 2023
- up from 202 persons in the September quarter 2022
(a) Rate is the number of prisoners per 100,000 adult population. Based on average daily number.
Sex
Of all prisoners:
- 92% (38,989) were male
- 8% (3,226) were female
The imprisonment rate for male prisoners was 383 persons per 100,000 adult male population, down from 386 persons last quarter.
The imprisonment rate for female prisoners was 31 persons per 100,000 adult female population, stable since last quarter.
Type of custody
Of all prisoners:
- 84% (35,261) were in secure custody
- 16% (6,954) were in open custody
Legal status
38% (16,182) of the 42,188 prisoners (first day of the month) were unsentenced:
- down from 16,348 in the June quarter 2023
- up from 15,240 in the September quarter 2022
61% (25,913) of the 42,188 prisoners (first day of the month) were sentenced, up from:
- 25,788 in the June quarter 2023
- 25,510 in the September quarter 2022
(a) Based on average number on the first day of the month.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners
There were 14,183 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners, up from:
- 14,011 in the June quarter 2023
- 13,039 in the September quarter 2022
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rates
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate was 2,500 persons per 100,000 adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, up from:
- 2,470 in the June quarter 2023
- 2,354 in the September quarter 2022
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate for male prisoners was 4,584 persons per 100,000 adult male Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, up from 4,528 persons last quarter.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate for female prisoners was 472 persons per 100,000 adult female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, up from 467 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 1,170 federal sentenced prisoners, up from:
- 1,130 in the June quarter 2023
- 1,084 in the September quarter 2022
Prisoner receptions
The total number of prisoner receptions was 17,200, up from:
- 16,504 in the June quarter 2023
- 16,720 in the September quarter 2022
(a) Total number of prisoner receptions.
Prisoner releases
The total number of prisoner releases was 16,779, up from:
- 16,511 in the June quarter 2023
- 16,251 in the September quarter 2022
(a) Total number of prisoner releases.
Community-based corrections
Persons in community-based corrections
There were 81,348 persons serving CBC orders, up from:
- 79,984 in the June quarter 2023
- 77,861 in the September 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 393 persons per 100,000 adult population, up from:
- 389 in the June quarter 2023
- 385 in the September quarter 2022
(a) Rate per 100,000 persons for the state/territory of interest.
Sex
Of all persons serving CBC orders:
- 81% (65,658) were male
- 19% (15,653) were female
The rate for male persons serving CBC orders was 645 persons per 100,000 adult male population, up from 641 persons last quarter.
The rate for female persons serving CBC orders was 149 persons per 100,000 adult female population, up from 146 last quarter.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons serving community-based corrections orders
There were 20,186 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons serving CBC orders, up from:
- 19,561 in the June quarter 2023
- 18,331 in the September quarter 2022
(a) Based on average number on the first day of the month.
Type of community-based corrections orders
There were 56,725 Sentenced probation orders, up from:
- 55,618 in the June quarter 2023
- 53,643 in the September quarter 2022
(a) Based on average number on the first day of the month.
There were 17,413 Parole orders:
- up from 17,317 in the June quarter 2023
- down from 17,572 in the September quarter 2022
(a) Based on average number on the first day of the month.
There were 12,881 Community service orders, up from:
- 12,571 in the June quarter 2023
- 12,258 in the September 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
Guide to finding data in the Corrective Services Australia publication tables
Corrective Services, Australia - September quarter 2023
Corrective Services, Australia - Prisoner receptions and prisoner releases - September quarter 2023
Previous catalogue number
This release previously used catalogue number 4512.0.