Kids' prison rates reviewed
New stats show fewer children are being held in detention or under community supervision orders, but the rate for Indigenous children is slower to move.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) says over 5,300 children aged between 10 and 17 were in detention or under community supervision by youth justice officers last financial year, but there are about 1,000 fewer children under supervision compared with five years ago.
However, the likelihood of Indigenous children being subject to youth justice supervision has risen from 15 to 18 times that of non-Indigenous children.
The rate of non-Indigenous children under supervision has fallen by 22 per cent over five years, but just 9 per cent for Indigenous children.
“This has resulted in even greater Indigenous over-representation in youth justice supervision,” AIHW spokesman David Braddock said.
“The states and territories have successfully dropped the rates of both groups but they have had greater success for non-Indigenous kids than Indigenous kids.”
Eighty-three per cent of the children under youth justice supervision are being supervised in the community.
On average, half of those under more than one type of supervision are Indigenous, despite making up just 5 per cent of the population.
“Indigenous young people were over-represented in youth justice supervision in every state and territory,” the AIHW report said.