Bringing-Them-Home-Report-Web

However, NSW had the highest number of Indigenous young people incarcerated(102) as well as the highest rate (746 per 100,00). WA’s rate of 734 was only slightlylower than that in NSW. Queensland and SA also had extraordinarily high rates (594 and572 respectively). Nationally some 87% of Indigenous young people in detention are heldin only three States: NSW, WA and Queensland.Jurisdictional differences also indicate important considerations in relation to policydevelopment. For example, unless we assume that Indigenous youth in WA are six timesmore criminal than Indigenous youth in Victoria, we need to consider what it is aboutgovernment policy and legislation that leads to greater levels of incarceration of youngpeople in the former State. Similarly the variations in incarceration by jurisdiction alsohave a positive side to them. They indicate that patterns of imprisonment ‘are not theproduct of immutable factors. They can vary. They can change. They can be improved’(Dodson 1995 page 20).Level of over-representation for Indigenous youth, 30 June 1996Age NSW Vic Qld WA SA Tas NT ACT Aust10-17 20.5 9.8 41.1 31.6 13.7 8.2 3.8 19.0 21.3This table shows the level of over-representation of Indigenous young people tonon-Indigenous young people in correctional institutions by comparing the rates ofincarceration in each jurisdiction. Thus in Queensland for example an Indigenous youngperson is 41.1 times more likely to be in juvenile correctional institutions than a non-Indigenous young person. Queensland has the highest level of over-representation,followed by WA and NSW. For Australia as a whole, Indigenous youth are 21.3 timesmore likely to be in a detention centre than non-Indigenous young people.The sex of a young person is also a significant factor as the following table shows.Comparing males and females in juvenile corrective institutions, 30 June 1996Males Females TotalNo % No % No %Indigenous 258 90.5 27 9.5 285 100Non-Indigenous 465 93.6 32 6.4 497 100Total 723 92.5 59 7.5 782 100Young males comprise the majority of youth in detention centres, irrespective ofwhether they are Indigenous or not. Most separations which arise directly as a result of