NSW Closing the Gap quarterly update December 2025

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. 

The Closing the Gap Quarterly Report shows performance against two key indicators of Aboriginal over-representation in the justice system:

1. The number of Aboriginal people in custody
2. The number of court appearances involving Aboriginal people

The report also look at secondary measures which contribute to changes in custody and court volumes, including police actions, bail decisions, bail breaches, court outcomes and reoffending. Separate reports are available for Aboriginal adults (target 10) and Aboriginal young people (target 11).

Target 10 – Aboriginal Adults in custody

• As of December 2025, there were 4,452 Aboriginal adults in custody, representing 33.9% of the total adult prison population. Unlike the overall prison population, which remains below pre-pandemic levels, the number of Aboriginal prisoners has surpassed those levels and continues to grow.
• Over the two years from December 2023 to December 2025, the number of Aboriginal inmates increased by 681 adults (or up 18.1%), including a rise of 616 Aboriginal men and 65 Aboriginal women.

Target 11 – Aboriginal young people in custody

• As of December 2025, 127 Aboriginal young people were in detention, representing 56.4% of the total youth detention population. Of these, 72.4% (92 young people) were held on remand.
• Among Aboriginal young people in custody, the most common offences were break and enter (33 young people), non-DV assault (19), and theft (16).