More than 18,000 prisoners are on remand, waiting for their time in court, representing more than 40 percent of Australia’s total prison population.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data shows the number of adult prisoners on remand in Australia increased by 13 percent between 2023 and 2024.
ABS Head of Crime and Justice Statistics Samantha Hall said the number of prisoners on remand rose to 18,036 people this year.
“That’s 41 percent of all prisoners, up from 38 percent in 2023,” Ms Hall said.
She said sentenced prisoners increased by two percent to 26,281, as the total number of adult prisoners in Australia grew by six percent to 44,403.
Ms Hall said prisoner numbers rose for nearly all offence types, including assaults (up nine percent or 1043 prisoners), sexual assaults (up eight percent or 531 prisoners) and offences against justice (up 10 percent or 309 prisoners).
“More than nine in 10 prisoners were male and three in five had an episode of prior adult imprisonment.”
Explore all the data: Prisoners in Australia.
