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NSW Custody Statistics Quarterly update December 2025
Date: 12 Feb 2026
Subject: Custody
Author: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research
As at December 2025, there were 13,133 adults in prison. While the prison population remains below pre pandemic levels, it has grown steadily over the past two years, up 1,026 people (8.5%) since December 2023.
The increase is concentrated among specific cohorts, several of which reached record highs in December 2025:
Aboriginal adults in custody: A record 4,452 Aboriginal adults were in prison, accounting for 33.9% of the total adult prison population, the highest proportion ever recorded.
Remand population: The number of adults on remand reached an all time high of 6,081, representing 46.3% of the adult prison population.
Domestic violence offences: A record 3,565 adults were in custody for domestic violence offences, comprising 27.1% of the adult prison population.
Youth detention
In December 2025, 225 young people were in detention in NSW, an increase of 51 young people (29.3%) since December 2023, but unchanged from December 2024.
The majority of young people in detention were on remand (75.6%). Over the two years to December 2025, the number of young people on remand increased by 39, a 29.8% rise from December 2023.
Of those detained on 31 December 2025, 127 were Aboriginal, representing 56.4% of the youth detention population.