Tasmania
Quick facts
On an average day in 2018–19, in Tasmania:
- 155 young people aged 10 and over were under youth justice supervision
- 26 per 10,000 young people aged 10–17 were under supervision
- Indigenous young people were almost 4 times as likely as non-Indigenous young people to be under supervision.
Among those under youth justice supervision in Tasmania:
- 93% were supervised in the community, and the rest in detention
- 76% were male
- 30% of those aged 10–17 were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
- 3 in 4 (75%) young people in detention were unsentenced (awaiting the outcome of their court matter or sentencing), and the rest were serving a sentence.
Young people spent an average of 32 weeks under supervision during the year.
Over the 5 years to 2018–19, the number of young people under supervision on an average day rose by 5%, while the rate for those aged 10–17 increased from 21 to 26 per 10,000.
Number and rate
On an average day in 2018–19, in Tasmania:
- 155 young people aged 10 and over were under youth justice supervision
- 9 in 10 (93%) were supervised in the community, and the rest (8%) in detention (proportions might not sum to 100% because some young people were under community-based supervision and in detention on the same day)
- the rate of supervision was 26 per 10,000 young people aged 10–17
- 23 per 10,000 young people aged 10–17 were under community-based supervision, and 2 per 10,000 were in detention.
Age and sex
On an average day in 2018–19, in Tasmania:
- 85% of those under supervision were aged 10–17, and the rest were 18 and over
- 76% of those under supervision were male
- males and females under supervision were most likely to be aged 16.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people
On an average day in 2018–19, in Tasmania:
- Indigenous young people made up 10% of those aged 10–17 in the general population, but 30% of those of the same age under supervision
- Indigenous young people aged 10–17 were almost 4 times as likely as non-Indigenous young people to be under supervision (74 per 10,000 compared with 19 per 10,000).
Time under supervision
In 2018–19, in Tasmania:
- the median duration of individual periods of supervision that were completed during the year was 337 days (48 weeks)
- when all time spent under supervision during the year is considered, young people spent an average of 222 days (32 weeks) under supervision.
Sentenced and unsentenced detention
On an average day in 2018–19, in Tasmania:
- three-quarters (75%) of young people in detention were unsentenced—that is, they were awaiting the outcome of their court matter, or had been found guilty and were awaiting sentencing
- one-third (33%) of young people in detention were serving a sentence
Trends to 2018–19
Over the 5 years to 2018–19, on an average day in Tasmania:
- the number of young people under supervision rose by 5% (from 148 in 2014–15 to 155 in 2018–19), while the rate increased from 21 to 26 per 10,000 young people aged 10–17
- in community-based supervision, the number rose by 4%, while the rate increased from 19 to 23 per 10,000
- in detention, the number rose by 20%, and the rate remained steady at 2 per 10,000.
More information
For more information see Youth justice.