NCJ Number
140834
Date Published
1992
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Imprisonment trends by Australian jurisdiction for 1981-82 to 1990-91 address total prisoners (daily average), sentenced prisoners on hand, sentenced prisoners received per month, and remandees on the first day of the month.
Abstract
The estimated average time served by sentenced prisoners in months is shown. Three jurisdictions have shown a decrease in the time served over the study period, and four have shown an increase. The notable figure is the comparatively high average time served in Victoria in recent years. This is due, however, to Victoria's efforts to limit imprisonment to the most serious offenders. This is confirmed by the relatively low rate of prison admissions in Victoria. Rates of imprisonment per 100,000 show an increase over the 10-year period in all jurisdictions but Tasmania, with the overall result being an increase of nearly 18 percent. The rates of sentenced receptions into prisons in each jurisdiction for the 10-year period show considerable disparities in the number of persons being sentenced to prison terms. These disparities are largely due to different policies in the sentencing of "marginal" offenders. The 10- year period has seen an increase of almost 45 percent in the overall rate of remand, with responsibility spread across virtually all jurisdictions. 5 tables and 1 figure