Sentenced prisoners down 7 per cent
The number of sentenced prisoners fell by 7 per cent to 25,624, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Prisoners on remand decreased by 2 per cent to 14,864. Overall, 40,591 prisoners were in custody on 30 June 2022, a 6 per cent drop from 2021.
William Milne, ABS head of crime and justice statistics, said: “This is lowest count of prisoners since 2017. COVID-19 related restrictions, which began in March 2020, may still be impacting criminal activity and the justice system."
“Prisoner numbers dropped for nearly all offence types, including illicit drug offences (-13 per cent), burglary (-11 per cent), and robbery (-12 per cent). In contrast, prisoners in custody for sexual assault offences increased by 4 per cent over the year.”
Further information, including state and territory data, can be found in Prisoners in Australia, 2022, available for free download from the ABS website: http://www.abs.gov.au
Media notes
Offence refers to most serious offence or charge as defined in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Offence Classification (ANZSOC).
Prisoners on remand are awaiting the outcome of their court hearing. They are referred to as unsentenced prisoners in the publication.
When reporting ABS data you must attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source.
- For media requests and interviews, contact the ABS Media Team via media@abs.gov.au (8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri).
- Subscribe to our media release notification service to get notified of ABS media releases or publications upon their release.