Prisoners in Australia

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Contains information on prisoners who were in custody on 30 June each year. Details include prisoner characteristics, age, sex and Indigenous status

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Reference period
2019
Released
5/12/2019
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Key statistics

From 30 June 2018 to 30 June 2019:

  • The number of adult prisoners increased by less than one per cent to 43,028.
  • The national imprisonment rate was 219 persons per 100,000 adult population, a decrease of 1 per cent.
  • Unsentenced prisoners increased by 3% to 14,210. Victoria had the largest numerical change in unsentenced prisoners, increasing 10% (or 266 prisoners).
  • Sentenced prisoners decreased by 1% to 28,721 prisoners
  • Female prisoners decreased 4% (131 prisoners) to 3,494 prisoners, while male prisoners increased by less than one per cent (195 prisoners). Males continue to comprise the majority of the Australian prisoner population (92% of total prisoners).
     

Prisoner characteristics, Australia

At 30 June 2019:

Key statistics

  • There were 43,028 prisoners, an increase of less than one per cent (54 prisoners) from 30 June 2018.
  • Between 2018 and 2019 the national imprisonment rate decreased by 1% from 221 to 219 prisoners per 100,000 adult population.
  • Two out of three prisoners (67% or 28,721 prisoners) were sentenced, whilst 33% (14,210 prisoners) were unsentenced. (Table 2)
  • The most common offences/charges for prisoners were:
     
    • Acts intended to cause injury (23%);
    • Illicit drug offences (15%);
    • Sexual assault and related offences (13%); and
    • Unlawful entry with intent (10%). (Table 3)
       
  • The offence/charge with the largest numerical increase in prisoners was Sexual assault and related offences, which increased 7% (388 prisoners).
  • The largest numerical decrease in offence type was Unlawful entry with intent, which decreased by 5% (214 prisoners). (Table 3)
     

Sex

  • Males accounted for 92% of all prisoners (39,538 prisoners) and females the remaining 8% (3,494 prisoners). (Table 1)
  • The number of male prisoners increased by less than one per cent (195 prisoners) from 30 June 2018.
  • The number of female prisoners decreased by 4% (131 prisoners). (Table 2)
     
  • Since 30 June 2018, the national male imprisonment rate decreased by less than one per cent to 409 prisoners per 100,000 male adult population; while the female imprisonment rate decreased by 5% to 35 prisoners per 100,000 female adult population. (Table 15)
  • The most common offences/charges for male prisoners were:
     
    • Acts intended to cause injury (23%);
    • Illicit drug offences (15%); and
    • Sexual assault and related offences (14%).
       
  • The most common offences/charges for female prisoners were:
     
    • Illicit drug offences (22%);
    • Acts intended to cause injury (19%); and
    • Unlawful entry with intent (10%). (Table 1)

Age

  • The median age for male adult prisoners was 35 years of age, whilst the median age for females was 34 years of age.
  • The median age of prisoners has increased from 33 years to 35 years over the past decade. (Tables 1 & 15)
  • Prisoners with an offence/charge of Sexual assault and related offences had the highest median age (45 years), followed by Homicide and related offences (41 years).
  • Prisoners with an offence/charge of Robbery/extortion had the lowest median age (30 years). (Table 1)
  • Persons aged 30 to 34 years had the highest imprisonment rate (412 prisoners per 100,000 persons aged 30 to 34), followed by persons aged 25 to 29 years (408 prisoners per 100,000 persons aged 25 to 29 years).
  • Persons aged 65 years and over had the lowest imprisonment rate (31 prisoners per 100,000 persons aged 65 years and over). (Table 4)
     

Country of birth

  • Four in every five prisoners were born in Australia (82% or 35,228 prisoners).
  • Overseas born persons accounted for 17% of all prisoners. (Table 22)
  • The most common countries of birth for overseas born prisoners were:
     
    • New Zealand (3% of total prisoners);
    • Vietnam (2%); and,
    • the United Kingdom (1%). (Table 7 & 22)
       
  1. Includes Channel Islands and Isle of Man;
  2. Excludes SARs and Taiwan province;
  3. May include persons born in both Sudan and South Sudan.
     

Sentenced prisoners

  • There were 28,721 sentenced prisoners, a decrease of 1% (309 prisoners) from 30 June 2018. This represents the first decrease in sentenced prisoners since 2011. (Table 2)
  • The proportion of prisoners that were sentenced varied from 58% in the Australian Capital Territory (276 prisoners) to 71% (4,957 prisoners) in Western Australia. (Table 14)
  • The largest numerical decreases in sentenced prisoners were recorded in New South Wales (212 prisoners), Queensland (138 prisoners) and South Australia (106 prisoners). The largest increase was in Victoria (170 prisoners). (Table 27)
  • The median aggregate sentence length for sentenced prisoners was 3.2 years and the median expected time to serve for sentenced prisoners was 2.0 years. (Tables 11 and 12)
  • Just under half of all sentenced prisoners (44% or 12,682) had been sentenced in the previous 12 months. (Table 9)
  • The most common offences for sentenced prisoners were:
     
    • Acts intended to cause injury (18%);
    • Illicit drug offences (15%);
    • Sexual assault and related offences (15%); and
    • Unlawful entry with intent (11%). (Table 1)
       
  1. For a definition of most serious offence, see Methodology, Most serious offence/charge.
  2. Offences against justice procedures, government security and operations.
     
  1. For a definition of most serious offence, see Methodology, Most serious offence/charge.
     
  • The median aggregate sentence length for sentenced prisoners was highest in South Australia (4.4 years) and lowest in the Northern Territory (1.7 years). (Table 24)
     

Unsentenced prisoners

  • There were 14,210 unsentenced prisoners, an increase of 3% (354 prisoners) from 30 June 2018. (Table 2)
     
  • The most common charges for unsentenced prisoners were:
     
    • Acts intended to cause injury (33%);
    • Illicit drug offences (17%); and
    • Sexual assault and related offences (10%). (Table 1)
       
  1. For a definition of most serious charge see Methodology, Most serious offence/charge.
     
  • Median time on remand for unsentenced prisoners was 3.1 months. (Table 32)
     

Most serious offence/charge

The most common offences/charges for all prisoners as of 30 June 2019 were:

  • Acts intended to cause injury (23% or 9,824 prisoners);
  • Illicit drug offences (15% or 6,573 prisoners); and
  • Sexual assault and related offences (13% or 5,671 prisoners). (Table 1)
     

Between 2018 and 2019:

  • The largest increases in the number of prisoners occurred for the following offences:
     
    • Sexual assault and related offences (7% or 388 prisoners);
    • Acts intended to cause injury (2% or 165 prisoners); and
    • Offences against justice (6% or 177 prisoners).
       
  • The largest decreases occurred for the following offences:
     
    • Unlawful entry with intent (5% or 214 prisoners);
    • Illicit drug offences (3% or 206 prisoners); and
    • Robbery/extortion (4% or 143 prisoners). (Table 3)
       

Between 2010 and 2019:

  • Acts intended to cause injury has increased by 69% (or 4,021 prisoners). This remained the most common offence for prisoners in Australia throughout the period.
  • Illicit drug offences was the second most common offence since 2013, increasing by 103% (or 3,340 prisoners).
     
  1. For a definition of most serious offence, see Methodology, Most serious offence/charge.
     

Acts intended to cause injury

  • Males accounted for the majority (93%) of prisoners with this offence.
  • The median age of prisoners with this offence was 33 years. (Table 1)
  • This was the most common offence/charge in every state and territory, other than Western Australia. (Table 16)
  • The majority of prisoners with this offence had prior adult imprisonment under sentence (67% or 6,533 prisoners). (Table 1)
  • The median aggregate sentence length for this offence was 2.0 years. (Table 11)
     

Illicit drug offences

  • Males accounted for the majority (89%) of prisoners with this offence.
  • The median age of prisoners with this offence was 36 years.
  • Most prisoners with this offence were non-Indigenous (93% or 6,117 prisoners).
  • Over one-third (40%) of prisoners with this offence had prior adult imprisonment under sentence. This was lower than national average of prior imprisonment (58%). (Table 1)
  • The median aggregate sentence length for this offence was 5.0 years. (Table 11)
     

Sexual assault and related offences

  • The majority of prisoners with this offence were male (99% or 5,603 prisoners).
  • The median age of prisoners with this offence was 45 years, which was the highest of all offence types.
  • Most prisoners with this offence were non-Indigenous (81% or 4,590 prisoners).
  • Nearly one-third (32%) of prisoners with this offence had prior adult imprisonment under sentence. (Table 1)
  • The median aggregate sentence length for this offence was 7.2 years, which was the second longest of all offences, following Homicide and related offences (17.0 years). (Table 11)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoner characteristics

At 30 June 2019:

Key statistics

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoner numbers increased by three per cent (346 prisoners) from 2018. (Table 2)
     
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners accounted for over a quarter (28%) of the total Australian prisoner population. (Table 1)
  • The most common offence/charge for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners was Acts intended to cause injury (34% or 4,105 prisoners) followed by Unlawful entry with intent (14% or 1,681 prisoners). (Table 1)
     
  1. For a definition of most serious offence/charge, see Methodology, Most serious offence/charge.
  2. Offences against justice procedures, government security and operations.
     
  • Three out of four Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners (78% or 9,480 prisoners) had been imprisoned under sentence previously. (Table 29)
     

Sex

  • Nine in ten (90% or 11,012 prisoners) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners were male. (Table 21)
  • The most common offences/charges for both male and female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners were:
     
    • Acts intended to cause injury (34% or 3,732 prisoners and 32% or 371 prisoners, respectively); and
    • Unlawful entry with intent (14% or 1,504 prisoners and 15% or 177 prisoners, respectively). (Table 5)

Age

  • Overall, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners were younger than non-Indigenous prisoners, which follows the same profile from previous years.
  • The median age of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners was 32 years. (Table 1)
     

Sentenced prisoners

  • The median aggregate sentence length for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners was 2.1 years. (Table 11)
  • The median expected time to serve for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners was 1.3 years. (Table 12)
  • The median aggregate sentence length for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sentenced prisoners was longest in South Australia (3.2 years) and shortest in Northern Territory (1.5 years). (Table 26)
     

Unsentenced prisoners

  • One-third (34%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners were unsentenced (4,128 prisoners).
  • The most common charge for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander unsentenced prisoners was Acts intended to cause injury (44% or 1,820 prisoners), followed by Robbery/extortion (10% or 401 prisoners). (Table 9)
  • The median time spent on remand by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander unsentenced prisoners was 2.7 months. (Table 13)

States and territories

New South Wales

At 30 June 2019:

Key statistics

  • There were 13,458 prisoners in New South Wales, a decrease of 2% (282 prisoners) from 2018. This was the largest numerical decrease in prisoners for all states and territories.
  • When accounting for population changes, this represented an adult imprisonment rate decrease of 4% (to 214 prisoners per 100,000 adult population). (Table 19)
  • New South Wales had the largest prisoner population nationally, accounting for 31% of the total adult population. (Table 15)
  • The most common offences/charges were:
     
    • Acts intended to cause injury (24% or 3,188 prisoners);
    • Illicit drug offences (16% or 2,124 prisoners); and
    • Sexual assault and related offences (15% or 1,987 prisoners). (Table 16)
       

Sex

  • Males comprised 93% (12,508 prisoners) of the total prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • Since 30 June 2018, the male imprisonment rate decreased by 3% to 404 prisoners per 100,000 male adult population, while the female imprisonment rate decreased by 13% to 30 prisoners per 100,000 female adult population. (Table 15)
     

Age

  • The median age of adult prisoners was 35 years of age. (Table 14)
     

Country of birth

  • Overseas born prisoners accounted for 20% of the New South Wales prisoner population. (Table 22)
     

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders comprised 26% (3,434 prisoners) of the prisoner population. (Table 14)
     

Legal status

  • Unsentenced prisoners comprised 34% (4,531 prisoners) of the prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • The median time spent on remand by unsentenced prisoners was 3.6 months. (Table 32)
  • The median aggregate sentence length of sentenced prisoners was 3.5 years. (Table 26)
     

Victoria

At 30 June 2019:

Key statistics

  • The number of prisoners in Victoria was 8,101, an increase of 6% (435 prisoners) from 2018. (Table 15)
  • When accounting for population changes, this represented an adult imprisonment rate increase of 3% (to 157 prisoners per 100,000 adult population). (Table 19)
  • The most common offences/charges were:
     
    • Acts intended to cause injury (20% or 1,627 prisoners);
    • Illicit drug offences (14% or 1,162 prisoners); and
    • Sexual assault and related offences (14% or 1,099 prisoners). (Table 16)
       

Sex

  • Males comprised 93% (7,525 prisoners) of the total prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • Since 30 June 2018, the male imprisonment rate increased by 3% to 298 prisoners per 100,000 male adult population, while the female rate increased by less than one per cent to 22 prisoners per 100,000 female adult population. (Table 15)
     

Age

  • The median age of adult prisoners was 35 years of age. (Table 14)
     

Country of birth

  • Overseas born prisoners accounted for 24% of the Victorian prisoner population. This was the largest proportion of overseas born prisoners of any state or territory (Table 22)
     

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders comprised 10% (840 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 14)
     

Legal status

  • Unsentenced prisoners comprised 37% (2,974 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • The median time spent on remand by unsentenced prisoners was 2.7 months. (Table 32)
  • The median aggregate sentence length of sentenced prisoners was 4.0 years. (Table 26)
     

Queensland

At 30 June 2019:

Key statistics

  • The number of adult prisoners in Queensland was 8,771, a decrease of less than one per cent (69 prisoners) from 2018. (Table 15)
  • When accounting for population changes, this represented an adult imprisonment rate decrease of 1% (to 225 prisoners per 100,000 adult population). (Table 19)
  • The most common offences/charges were:
     
    • Acts intended to cause injury (23% or 2,043 prisoners);
    • Illicit drug offences (16% or 1,377 prisoners); and
    • Sexual assault and related offences (12% or 1,085 prisoners). (Table 16)
       

Sex

  • Males comprised 90% (7,918 prisoners) of the total prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • Since 30 June 2018, the male imprisonment rate decreased by 1% to 415 prisoners per 100,000 male adult population, while the female imprisonment rate increased by 1% to 43 prisoners per 100,000 female adult population. (Table 15)
     

Age

  • The median age of adult prisoners was 34 years of age. (Table 14)
     

Country of birth

  • Overseas born prisoners accounted for 12% of the Queensland adult prisoner population. (Table 22)
     

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders comprised 33% (2,873 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 14)
     

Legal status

  • Unsentenced prisoners comprised 31% (2,713 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • The median time spent on remand by unsentenced prisoners was 3.8 months, which was higher than the national average of 3.1 months. (Table 32)
  • The median aggregate sentence length for sentenced prisoners was 3.0 years. (Table 26)
     

South Australia

At 30 June 2019:

Key statistics

  • The number of adult prisoners in South Australia was 2,862, a decrease of 4% (129 prisoners) since 2018. (Table 15)
  • When accounting for population changes, this represented an adult imprisonment rate decrease of 5% (to 207 prisoners per 100,000 adult population). (Table 19)
  • The most common offences/charges were:
     
    • Acts intended to cause injury (22% or 622 prisoners);
    • Sexual assault and related offences (14% or 406 prisoners);
    • Offences against justice (12% or 354 prisoners); and
    • Illicit drug offences (12% or 330 prisoners). (Table 16)
       

Sex

  • Males comprised 93% (2,664 prisoners) of the total prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • Since 30 June 2018, the male imprisonment rate decreased by 5% to 395 prisoners per 100,000 male adult population, while the female imprisonment rate decreased by 11% to 28 prisoners per 100,000 female adult population. (Table 15)
     

Age

  • The median age of adult prisoners was 37 years of age, which was the highest median age of all states and territories. (Table 14)
     

Country of birth

  • Overseas-born prisoners accounted for 11% of the South Australian adult prisoner population. (Table 22)
     

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders comprised 24% (681 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 14)
     

Legal status

  • Unsentenced prisoners comprised 38% (1,093 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Tables 14)
  • The median time spent on remand by unsentenced prisoners was 2.3 months. (Table 32)
  • For sentenced prisoners, South Australia had the highest national median aggregate sentence length (4.4 years, compared to the national average of 3.2 years), and median expected time to serve (3.3 years compared to the national average of 2.0 years). (Tables 25 and 26)
     

Western Australia

At 30 June 2019:

Key statistics

  • The number of adult prisoners in Western Australia was 6,943, an increase of 1% (78 prisoners) from 2018. (Table 15)
  • When accounting for population changes, this represented an adult imprisonment rate increase of less than one per cent (to 345 prisoners per 100,000 adult population). (Table 19)
  • The most common offences/charges were:
     
    • Illicit drug offences (20% or 1,388 prisoners);
    • Acts intended to cause injury (18% or 1,282 prisoners); and,
    • Unlawful entry with intent (15% or 1,022 prisoners).
       
  • Western Australia was the only state or territory where Illicit drug offences were the most common offence, rather than Acts intended to cause injury. (Table 16)
     

Sex

  • Males comprised 90% (6,222 prisoners) of the total prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • From 30 June 2018, the male imprisonment rate increased by less than one per cent to 623 prisoners per 100,000 male adult population, while the female imprisonment rate decreased by 5% to 70 prisoners per 100,000 female adult population. (Table 15)
     

Age

  • The median age of adult prisoners was 35 years of age. (Table 14)
     

Country of birth

  • Overseas-born prisoners accounted for 16% of the Western Australian adult prisoner population. (Table 22)
     

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders comprised 39% (2,680 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 14)
     

Legal status

  • Unsentenced prisoners comprised 28% (1,957 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • The median time spent on remand by unsentenced prisoners was 3.4 months, which was higher than the national average of 3.1 months. (Table 32)
  • The median aggregate sentence length for sentenced prisoners was 2.7 years. (Table 26)
     

Tasmania

At 30 June 2019:

Key statistics

  • The number of adult prisoners in Tasmania was 693, an increase of 13% (79 prisoners) from 2018. (Table 15)
  • When accounting for population changes, this represented an adult imprisonment rate increase of 11% (to 165 prisoners per 100,000 adult population). (Table 19)
  • The most common offences/charges were:
     
    • Acts intended to cause injury (23% or 160 prisoners); and
    • Sexual assault and related offences (12% or 82 prisoners).
       

Sex

  • Males comprised 92% (635 prisoners) of the total prisoner population. (Table 14)
     

Age

  • The median age of adult prisoners was 35 years of age. (Table 14)
     

Country of birth

  • Overseas-born prisoners accounted for 3% of the Tasmanian adult prisoner population. This was the lowest proportion of overseas born prisoners of any state or territory. (Table 22)
     

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders comprised 20% (140 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 14)
     

Legal status

  • Unsentenced prisoners comprised 33% (231 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • The median time spent on remand by unsentenced prisoners was 1.8 months, which was the shortest of all states and territories. (Table 32)
  • The median aggregate sentence length for sentenced prisoners was 2.5 years. (Table 26)
     

Northern Territory

At 30 June 2019:

Key statistics

  • The number of adult prisoners in the Northern Territory was 1,731, a decrease of 2% (27 prisoners) from 2018. (Table 15)
  • When accounting for population changes, this represented an adult imprisonment rate decrease of 1% (to 943 prisoners per 100,000 adult population). (Table 19)
  • The most common offence/charge was Acts intended to cause injury (43% or 745 prisoners) followed by Sexual assault and related offences (11% or 195 prisoners). (Table 16)
     

Sex

  • Males comprised 94% (1,621 prisoners) of the total prisoner population. (Table 14)
     

Age

  • The median age of adult prisoners was 34 years of age. (Table 14)
     

Country of birth

  • Overseas-born prisoners accounted for 4% of the Northern Territory adult prisoner population. (Table 22)
     

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders comprised 83% (1,443 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 14)
     

Legal status

  • Unsentenced prisoners comprised 30% (523 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • The median time spent on remand by unsentenced prisoners was 2.0 months. (Table 32)
  • The median aggregate sentence length for sentenced prisoners was 1.7 years, which was the lowest of all states and territories. (Table 26)
     

Australian Capital Territory

At 30 June 2019:

Key statistics

  • The number of adult prisoners in the Australian Capital Territory was 474, a decrease of 4% (18 prisoners) from 2018. (Table 15)
  • When accounting for population changes, this represented an adult imprisonment rate decrease of 5% (to 143 prisoners per 100,000 adult population). (Table 19)
  • The most common offences/charges were:
     
    • Acts intended to cause injury (31% or 145 prisoners);
    • Offences against justice (15% or 70 prisoners);
    • Sexual assault and related offences (14% or 64 prisoners). (Table 16)
       

Sex

  • Males comprised 94% (444 prisoners) of the total prisoner population. (Table 14)
  • Since 30 June 2018, the male imprisonment rate decreased by 4% to 275 prisoners per 100,000 male adult population, while the female imprisonment rate decreased by 12% to 20 prisoners per 100,000 female adult population. (Table 15)
     

Age

  • The median age of adult prisoners was 33 years of age. (Table 14)
     

Country of birth

  • Overseas-born prisoners accounted for 13% of the Australian Capital Territory adult prisoner population. (Table 22)
     

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders comprised 22% (104 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. (Table 14)
     

Legal status

  • Unsentenced prisoners comprised 40% (190 prisoners) of the adult prisoner population. This was the highest proportion of unsentenced prisoners across all states and territories. (Table 14)
  • The median time spent on remand by unsentenced prisoners was 2.6 months. (Table 32)
  • The median aggregate sentence length for sentenced prisoners was 3.1 years. (Table 26)
     

Federal offender characteristics

Federal prisoners and parolees, selected states and territories, 30 June 2019
State or territoryPrisonersParolees
New South Wales629138
Victoria426n/a
Queensland17040
South Australia3428
Western Australia18416
Tasmania90*
Northern Territory103
Australian Capital Territory80*

*nil or rounded to zero


At 30 June 2019:

  • Males accounted for the majority of federal offenders, with at least nine in ten federal prisoners being male and eight in ten federal parolees being male.
  • The majority of federal prisoners (95%) and federal parolees (98%) were non-Indigenous.
  • The median age for federal prisoners ranged from 37.2 years in South Australia to 41.7 years in Western Australia.
  • New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia accounted for 96% of all federal prisoners. (Table 36)


From 2018 to 2019:

  • The number of federal prisoners decreased by 1% or 10 prisoners.
  • Males decreased by 2% or 23 prisoners, while females increased by 5% or 6 prisoners.
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners decreased by 17% (14 prisoners), while non-Indigenous prisoners increased by less than 1% (2 prisoners).
  • There were increases in Victoria (up 10% or 38 prisoners), Western Australia (up 5% or 9 prisoners) and the Australian Capital Territory (up 60% or 3 prisoners).
  • There were decreases in New South Wales (down 5% or 33 prisoners), Queensland (down 8% or 15 prisoners), Tasmania (down 53% or 10 prisoners) and the Northern Territory (down 23% or 3 prisoners).
  • South Australia remained unchanged at 34 prisoners. (Table 38)
     

Data downloads

Guide to finding data in the prisoners in Australia 2019 publication tables

Data files
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Prisoner characteristics, Australia (Tables 1 to 13)

Data files
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Prisoner characteristics, states and territories (Tables 14 to 35)

Data files
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Federal Offender Characteristics (Tables 36 to 39)

Data files
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Post release changes

Show all

09/09/2021 - Indigenous status data for New South Wales and Australia have been updated in the publication. These updates have been made due to the recoding of Indigenous status for some New South Wales prisoners in 2019. 

Additionally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Non-Indigenous rates for 2017, 2018 and 2019 have also been updated to reflect revised numbers for the Estimates and Projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians publication. 

The following tables have been updated (any table with prisoner numbers and/or imprisonment rates by Indigenous status):  Tables 1, 2, 5, 9, 11-21, 26, 28-30

16/04/2020 - New information has been released providing statistics about federal offenders (prisoners and parolees) under the authority of corrective services agencies as at 30 June 2019. The data cube presents information for New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. The data cube presents statistics on sex, age, Indigenous status and country of birth of federal offenders.

The publication text has been updated with commentary and graphs on federal offenders and additional material has been added to the Explanatory Notes in the Methodology.

06/12/2019 - The Story and Methodology pages have been updated to correct hyperlink errors.

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 4517.0

Methodology

Prisoners in Australia methodology, 2019

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