The number of prisoners on remand increased by 16 per cent to 15,182, while sentenced prisoners decreased by 1 per cent to 27,680, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The new data showed there were 42,970 prisoners in custody on 30 June 2021, a 5 per cent increase from 30 June 2020, while the proportion of prisoners who were unsentenced increased from 32 per cent to 35 per cent.
ABS head of crime and justice statistics, William Milne, said COVID-19 related restrictions, which began in March 2020, may have impacted criminal activity and the justice system for both 2020 and 2021.
“There were increases in prisoner numbers across most offence categories, including assaults (up 14 per cent), sexual assaults (up 7 per cent) and illicit drug offences (up 3 per cent). In contrast, there was a decrease in prisoners with offences of robbery (down 3 per cent) and burglary (down 4 per cent) over the year.”
