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 2023 report. Please go to the dashboard to access the current data.
Note: An errata was released for Socioeconomic outcome area 11 on 21 June 2023.
Figure CtG11.1 was updated on 21 June 2023 to address an error with linkage to historical data. The text above the figure has also been updated for 2020-21 from 23.2 to 23.4.
Nationally in 2021-22, the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people aged 10-17 years in detention on an average day was 28.3 per 10 000 young people in the population (figure CtG11.1).
The 2021-22 rate is above the previous year (23.4 per 10 000 young people in 2020-21) but it is a decrease from 32.0 per 10 000 young people 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.
The assessment below reflects progress from the baseline (improvement, worsening or no change). For the national assessment, the target outcome shows good improvement and is on track to be met.
| NSW | Vic | Qld | WA | SA | Tas | ACT | NT | Aust | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment of progress 2018-19 to 2021-22 |  | |  | | | | |  |  |
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 2021-22, the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males aged 10-17 years in detention on an average day was 49.4 per 10 000 young people in the population compared to 6.3 per 10 000 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander females of the same age. The 2021-22 detention rates for both males and females are above the previous year but, have decreased since the baseline year of 2018-19 (figure CtG11.2).
| Sex | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males | 55.1 | 44.8 | 41.1 | 49.4 |
| Females | 7.8 | 6.1 | 5.1 | 6.3 |
By age group
Nationally in 2021-22, the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people aged 14-17 years in detention on an average day (53.0 per 10 000) was higher than the rate for young people aged 10-13 years (4.5 per 10 000). The 2021-22 detention rates for each age group are above the previous year but, have decreased since the baseline year of 2018-19 (figure CtG11.3).
| Age | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-13 years old | 5.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.5 |
| 14-17 years old | 60.4 | 49.5 | 44.6 | 53.0 |
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: | 15 June 2023 |
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 2010-11 to 2020-21in the June 2023 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: | 2021-22 |
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 2021-22, about 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, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory to 6 per cent in New South Wales. Western Australia had no unknown Indigenous status. Rates are calculated by the PC using updated population data and may differ from data published in the AIHW publication, Youth Justice in Australia 2021-22. 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. Rates for the 18+ age range have not been calculated as most people aged 18+ are under adult justice supervision. Youth detention numbers are provided by sex, by age group (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 - 81 Kb)
- Young people are not overrepresented in the criminal justice system dataset (CSV - 142 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).