The ABS states
This publication presents information from the National Prisoner Census about persons held in Australian prisons on the night of 30 June 2018. The National Prisoner Census covers all prisoners in the legal custody of adult corrective services in adult prisons, excluding persons held in juvenile justice institutions, psychiatric custody and police custody. It is based on data extracted from administrative records held by the corrective services agencies in each Australian state and territory. These statistics provide a profile of the legal status, sentence details and demographic characteristics of Australian prisoners in the legal custody of adult prisons.
It should be noted that the information provided in the Prisoner Census relates to persons in prison at a point in time (30 June 2018), and does not represent the flow of prisoners during the year. The majority of prisoners in the Prisoner Census were serving long-term sentences for serious offences, whereas the flow of offenders in and out of prisons consists primarily of persons serving short sentences for lesser offences.The snapshot is
At 30 June 2018: There were 42,974 prisoners in Australian prisons, an increase of 4% (1,772 prisoners) from 30 June 2017. Between 2017 and 2018 the national imprisonment rate increased by 3% from 216 to 221 prisoners per 100,000 adult population. (Table 2) Seven out of ten prisoners (68% or 29,030 prisoners) were sentenced, whilst 32% (13,856 prisoners) were unsentenced.
The most common offences/charges for prisoners were:
- Acts intended to cause injury (22%);
- Illicit drug offences (16%);
- Sexual assault and related offences (12%); and
- Unlawful entry with intent (10%).
Acts intended to cause injury was the most common offence/charge across all states and territories. The proportion of prisoners with this offence/charge ranged from 18% (546 prisoners) in South Australia to nearly half of all prisoners in the Northern Territory (48% or 851 prisoners).
The offence/charge with the largest numerical increase in prisoners was Illicit drug offences, which went up 10% (624 prisoners). The second largest numerical increase was in Sexual assault and related offences, which went up 10% (498 prisoners). As in previous years, this offence was the third most prevalent in 2018, following Acts intended to cause injury, and Illicit drug offences.
The largest numerical decrease in offence type was Offences against justice, which went down by 8% (252 prisoners).
Males accounted for 92% of all prisoners (39,343 prisoners) and females the remaining 8% (3,625 prisoners).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners accounted for over a quarter (28% or 11,849 prisoners) of the total Australian prisoner population. The total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population aged 18 years and over in 2018 was approximately 2% of the Australian population aged 18 years and over (based on Australian Demographic Statistics (cat. no. 3101.0) and Estimates and Projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2001 to 2026 (cat. no. 3238.0)).
Since 30 June 2017, the adult prisoner population increased across all states and territories except for South Australia, which decreased by 1% (41 prisoners). New South Wales and Victoria experienced the largest increases in prisoner numbers, increasing by 591 and 517 prisoners, respectively.
New South Wales had the largest adult prisoner population, comprising nearly one-third (32% or 13,740 prisoners) of the total Australian adult prisoner population, followed by Queensland (21% or 8,840 prisoners) and Victoria (18% or 7,666 prisoners).
The Northern Territory had the highest imprisonment rate (955 prisoners per 100,000 adult population) whilst the Tasmania had the lowest imprisonment rate (148 prisoners per 100,000 adult population).
