Key statistics.
- 43,305 persons were in custody in the March quarter 2024, up 2% (1,031 persons) since the December quarter 2023
- There were 16,903 unsentenced prisoners, up 5% (772 persons) for the quarter
- 81,081 persons were serving community-based corrections (CBC) orders, down 1% (679 persons) since the December quarter 2023
Persons in custody
There were 43,305 (average daily number) prisoners, up:
- 2% from 42,274 in the December quarter 2023
- 4% from 41,833 in the March quarter 2023
Imprisonment rates
The imprisonment rate was 206 persons per 100,000 adult population, up from:
- 203 persons in the December quarter 2023
- 205 persons in the March quarter 2023
Average daily imprisonment rate(a), By states and territories, Mar 2023, Dec 2023 and Mar 2024
Sex
Of all prisoners:
- 92% (39,996) were male
- 8% (3,309) were female
The imprisonment rate for male prisoners was 387 persons per 100,000 adult male population, up from 381 persons 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% (36,553) were in secure custody
- 16% (6,752) were in open custody
Legal status
16,903 (39%) of the 43,021 prisoners (first day of the month) were unsentenced, up from:
- 16,131 in the December quarter 2023
- 16,158 in the March quarter 2023
26,020 (61%) of the 43,021 prisoners (first day of the month) were sentenced:
- down from 26,075 in the December quarter 2023
- up from 25,367 in the March quarter 2023
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons in custody
There were 15,070 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners (accounting for 35% of all prisoners), up from:
- 14,463 in the December quarter 2023
- 13,716 in the March quarter 2023
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rates
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate was 2,591 persons per 100,000 adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, up from:
- 2,549 in the December quarter 2023
- 2,418 in the March quarter 2023
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate for male prisoners was 4,733 persons per 100,000 adult male Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, up from 4,683 persons last quarter.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate for female prisoners was 504 persons per 100,000 adult female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, up from 473 persons last quarter.
Federal sentenced persons in custody
There were 1,124 federal sentenced prisoners:
- down from 1,299 in the December quarter 2023
- up from 1,092 in the March quarter 2023
Prisoner receptions
The total number of prisoner receptions was 18,030, up from:
- 17,260 in the December quarter 2023
- 17,336 in the March quarter 2023
Prisoner releases
The total number of prisoner releases was 16,709:
- down from 17,278 in the December quarter 2023
- up from 16,155 in the March quarter 2023
Community-based corrections Persons in community-based corrections
There were 81,081 persons serving CBC orders:
- down from 81,760 in the December quarter 2023
- up from 79,342 in the March quarter 2023
Rates for persons in community-based corrections
The rate of persons serving CBC orders was 385 persons per 100,000 adult population:
- down from 392 in the December quarter 2023
- up from 389 in the March quarter 2023
Sex
Of all persons serving CBC orders:
- 80% (65,182) were male
- 20% (15,861) were female
The rate for male persons serving CBC orders was 630 persons per 100,000 adult male population, down from 642 persons last quarter.
The rate for female persons serving CBC orders was 148 persons per 100,000 adult female population, down from 149 persons last quarter.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons serving community-based corrections orders
There were 20,790 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons serving CBC orders, up from:
- 20,735 in the December quarter 2023
- 19,060 in the March quarter 2023
Type of community-based corrections orders
There were 56,622 Sentenced probation orders:
- down from 57,175 in the December quarter 2023
- up from 54,809 in the March quarter 2023
There were 17,214 Parole orders, down from:
- 17,538 in the December quarter 2023
- 17,666 in the March quarter 2023
There were 12,856 Community service orders:
- down from 12,914 in the December quarter 2023
- up from 12,429 in the March quarter 2023
