4517.0 - Prisoners in Australia, 2010 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 09/12/2010   
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UNSENTENCED PRISONERS

Unsentenced prisoners (those on remand) include unconvicted prisoners awaiting a court hearing or trial, convicted prisoners awaiting sentencing and persons awaiting deportation where they are under the administration of corrective services. Of all states and territories, South Australia had the highest proportion (36%) of unsentenced prisoners, while Western Australia had the lowest proportion (16%). Four states and territories recorded a decrease in the proportion of their prisoner population on remand since 30 June 2009: New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. (Table 3.5)


Time on remand

Time on remand is influenced by a number of factors, particularly the time it takes for a case to come before a court. The median number of months spent on remand by unsentenced prisoners in custody at 30 June 2010 was highest in Queensland (4.0 months), followed by New South Wales (3.6 months). The lowest median number of months spent on remand was in Tasmania (1.2 months) and the Northern Territory (1.4 months). (Table 3.11)

Unsentenced prisoners, median time on remand, by state and territory
Graph: Unsentenced prisoners, median time on remand, by state and territory





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