Target 11
By 2031, reduce the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people (10‑17 years) in detention by at least 30 per cent.
Dashboard snapshot: The data below are the most recent at the time of preparing the July 2022 report. Please go to the dashboard to access the current data.
Nationally in 2020-21, the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people aged 10-17 years in detention on an average day was 23.2 per 10 000 young people in the population (figure CtG11.1).
This is a decrease from 31.9 per 10 000 young people on an average day in 2018-19 (the baseline year).
Nationally, based on progress from the baseline, the target shows good improvement and is on track to be met. However, this assessment should be used with caution as it is based on a limited number of data points. Please see the How to interpret the data page for more information.
| NSW | Vic | Qld | WA | SA | Tas | ACT | NT | Aust | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment |  | | | | | Not applicable as required data not available | Not applicable as required data not available |  |  |
improvement no change 
worsening not applicable as required data not available. good improvement and target on track to be met. 
improvement but target not on track to be met.
Note: These assessments of progress should be used with caution as they are based on a limited number of data points.
Disaggregations
By sex
Nationally in 2020-21, the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males aged 10-17 years in detention on an average day was 40.5 per 10 000 young people in the population compared to 5.1 per 10 000 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander females of the same age. Detention rates have decreased for both males and females since the baseline year of 2018-19 (figure CtG11.2).
| 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males | 55.0 | 44.5 | 40.5 |
| Females | 7.8 | 6.0 | 5.1 |
By age group
Nationally in 2020-21, the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people aged 14-17 years in detention on an average day (43.9 per 10 000) was higher than the rate for young people aged 10-13 years (3.8 per 10 000). Detention rates have decreased for both age groups since the baseline year of 2018-19 (figure CtG11.3).
| 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-13 years old | 5.7 | 4.1 | 3.8 |
| 14-17 years old | 60.2 | 49.2 | 43.9 |
By sex, by age group
Data on the average daily number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in detention, by sex, by age group is available in table CtG11A.4.
Target data specifications
Outcome: |
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people are not overrepresented in the criminal justice system. |
|---|---|
Target: |
By 2031, reduce the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people (10–17 years) in detention by at least 30 per cent. |
Indicator: |
The rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people aged 10–17 years in detention. |
Measure: |
This measure is defined as: Numerator — average daily number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people aged 10–17 years in supervised youth detention Denominator — number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 10–17 years in the population and is presented as a rate per 10 000 young people. |
Target established: |
National Agreement on Closing the Gap July 2020 |
Latest dashboard update: |
30 June 2022 |
Indicator type: |
Target |
Interpretation of change: |
A low or decreasing rate is desirable. |
Data source(s): |
Name (numerator): Youth Justice National Minimum Dataset (YJ NMDS) Frequency: Annual Name (denominator): Estimates and Projections for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population Frequency: Annual (revised data for 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 in the March 2022 Dashboard update) Documentation (links): https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/health-welfare-services/youth-justice |
Data provider: |
Provider name (numerator): Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Provider area: Youth justice Provider name (denominator): Australian Bureau of Statistics Provider area: Demography |
Baseline year: |
2018-19 |
Latest reporting period: |
2020-21 |
Target year: |
2030-31 |
Disaggregations: |
State and territory and Australia, by Indigenous status State and territory and Australia, by Indigenous status, by sex State and territory and Australia, by Indigenous status, by age group State and territory and Australia, by Indigenous status, by sex, by age group |
Computation: |
Numerator divided by Denominator multiplied by 10 000 Counting rules Average daily numbers are calculated by summing the number of days each young person spends under supervision during the year (irrespective of age) and dividing this total by the number of days in the same year. Age is calculated based on the age a young person is each day that they are under supervision. If a young person changes age during a period of supervision, then the average daily number under supervision will reflect this. The numerator is calculated by summing the number of days each young person spends in detention during the financial year and dividing this total by the number of days in the financial year reporting period. Number of young people on an average day may not sum to total due to rounding. Rates are calculated from unrounded numbers of young people on an average day. Includes (numerator):
Excludes (numerator):
Denominator:
Disaggregations: Sex refers to a young person's biological characteristics at birth. A person's sex is usually described as being either male or female, but may be recorded as ‘other’. See Person—sex, code X (aihw.gov.au) Age is based on date of birth where known but can also be collect directly or estimated. Children with unknown age are excluded from the analysis by age. |
Data quality considerations: |
Data by Indigenous status are influenced by the quality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identification of young people in the YJ NMDS. About 5 per cent of all young people in the YJ NMDS since 2000-01 have an unknown Indigenous status. In 2018-19, less than 2 per cent of all young people under supervision during the year had an unknown Indigenous status. Among the states and territories, this ranged from less than 1 per cent in Victoria, Queensland and South Australia to 5 per cent in New South Wales. Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory had no unknown Indigenous status. Rates are calculated by the AIHW and are not provided where the numerator is less than five. However, relevant data are included in the calculation for Australian totals. Rates are calculated using updated population data and may differ from data published in the AIHW publication, Youth Justice in Australia 2020-21. While the scope of this target is youth aged 10-17 years, additional data have been provided for all people in detention (ie including those aged 18 years or over) for context. The AIHW do not calculate rates for 18+ as the age range is too large and most people 18+ are under adult justice supervision. Therefore, rates are published for 10-13 years and 14-17 years age groups and numbers for the 18 years or over age group. The AIHW do not calculate rates for sex, by age group at the sub-national level. Numbers (numerator) are published for 10-13 years, 14-17 years and 18 years or over age groups. |
Future reporting: |
Additional disaggregations required for future reporting:
|
Supporting indicators
Driver
- Un-sentenced detention rates
- Average time in detention for unsentenced youth
- Proportion of young alleged offenders (10-17 years) involved in police proceedings
Including charges and summons, cautions, diversions
- Proportion of young people convicted and sentenced
By type of sentence (community supervision, detention)
- Entrant rate to detention
Newly sentenced to youth detention
- Proportion of youth under community supervision transitioning to detention
- Young people returning to detention or community supervision
- Proportion of young people first coming into youth justice system aged 10-13
Offending and courts data, first entry to detention
Contextual information
- Community supervision trends
Proportion of young people in detention who had received child protection services (including out-of-home care)
- Proportion exiting detention
By reason
- Progress towards parity
Material for download
- Young people are not overrepresented in the criminal justice system data tables (XLSX - 74 Kb)
- Young people are not overrepresented in the criminal justice system dataset (CSV - 113 Kb)
To assist with interpretation of the data provided (Excel data tables and CSV dataset) please refer to the target data specification (above) and the indicator data specifications (provided in each supporting indicator page – linked above).