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Aboriginal over-representation in the NSW Criminal Justice System quarterly update March 2024
Supporting documents
Summary
Aim
The over-representation of Aboriginal Australians in custody is a matter of long-standing and justified public concern. Latest figures indicate that the Aboriginal imprisonment rate in NSW is nearly 10 times the non-Aboriginal imprisonment rate (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2020). Given that Aboriginal offenders are substantially overrepresented in prison, one would expect that they are also substantially over-represented at other stages of the Criminal Justice System.
- Target 10 – In March 2024 there were 3,841 Aboriginal adults in custody, the highest number ever recorded. As of March 2024, 30.8% of the adult custody population were Aboriginal. The recent increase is solely due to the remand population. In March 2024, the number of Aboriginal people held on remand in NSW was the highest on record (1,763), up 27.5% since March 2022.
- Target 11 – In March 2024 there were 148 Aboriginal young people in detention, which is 66.4% of the youth detention population (a new record). Currently, 78.4% of Aboriginal young people in detention are on remand. In March 2024, there were 116 Aboriginal young people on remand (up 35 or 43.2% since March 2022). More than half of the Aboriginal youth remand population are in detention for break and enter (29.3%) or car theft (22.4%).
We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Nations Peoples of NSW and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future.
Informed by lessons of the past, Department of Communities and Justice is improving how we work with Aboriginal people and communities. We listen and learn from the knowledge, strength and resilience of Stolen Generations Survivors, Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal communities.
You can access our apology to the Stolen Generations.