Juvenile justice supervision in Australia
Ingrid Johnston and Rachel Aalders
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Contact Email:   ingrid.johnstonaihw.gov.au

The Juvenile Justice national minimum data set (NMDS) is a new data set which for the first time provides national data on all young people in juvenile justice supervision in Australia. It includes both community based supervision and detention, from pre-sentence to sentenced and parole. Community based supervision may include community service orders, probation and recognisance. The movement of young people to and from supervision is tracked over time, with data from 2000-01 to 2004-05. This paper presents information on the number and characteristics of young people in juvenile justice supervision, including sex, age and indigenous status, and their transitions between community supervision and detention. The different approaches in each jurisdiction are reflected in the data on length of and type of supervision periods and the characteristics of those under juvenile justice supervision. The paper also looks at the proportion of young people who return to juvenile justice in subsequent years and discusses their characteristics.

Paper Download Information (if available):

Copyright © 2007 Social Policy Research Centre.