24 June 2007

ACT Has Lowest Imprisonment Rate

| Deano
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Figures released by the ABS show that the ACT has the lowest rate of imprisonment in the nation in the March quarter.

The ACT (including ACT prisoners held in NSW prisons) and Victoria had the lowest imprisonment rates (70 and 103 prisoners per 100,000 adults respectively), well below the national average of 163 prisoners per 100,000 adults.. The ACT also recorded the largest proportional decrease over the same period of 12%. Imprisonment rates for ACT males were 133 per 100,000 adults and 7.4 per 100,000 for females.

In the March quarter 2007, all prisoners held in full-time custody in the ACT were in secure custody. However, the ACT (including ACT prisoners held in New South Wales prisons) and South Australia had the highest proportions of unsentenced prisoners (37% and 35% respectively).

In total, a daily average of 176 people were in full time custody in the ACT with an average daily number of 53 persons held in periodic detention. The rate of imprisonment for periodic detainees increased by 2% in the ACT from the December quarter 2006 to the March quarter 2007. The rate of imprisonment for periodic detainees increased by 2% in the ACT from the December quarter 2006 to the March quarter 2007.

In March 2007 in the ACT there were 121 people on parole, 192 people on bail, and 781 on probation.

An interesting comparison is the ratio of people on probation to people in full time custody. In the ACT the ratio is 4.7 compared to the national ratio of 1.23.

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The police could also Deter more crimes if there were more of them. Which would actually improve the crime rates.

GnT, Your comments are fair, but of all the people who get found guilty at the courts for serious offences such as stealing cars and burglaries never get put in jail. How can Police protect the public and their interests when the same crooks are constantly being released. It seems everyone likes blaming the Police, but Police can only catch crooks and put them before the court. The rest is out of their hands. Though the Police could get more crooks if they wern’t so short staffed.

I’m with caf – don’t blame the lefty judges this time. ACT also has the highest income, lowest indigenous population, highest education levels etc. We are always either highest or lowest on any ABS stats.

Crime rates for the ACT are slightly higher than the national average.

I would say it’s got a lot more to do with socioeconomic influences than anything else. I would imagine the imprisonment rate in the population of say, Toorak, is probably lower than the national average too.

What are the stats on the crime rates and types of crimes in the ACT as compared to the national figures?

We have the lowest imprisonment rate, because we simply don’t issue gaol sentences…..

I’ve always wondered about weekend detention – where do they fit them all in? Are low security prisons packed on weekends, and empty thru the working week?

sexynotsmart8:10 pm 24 Jun 07

I ain’t surprised. I’m pretty alarmed though… the Neanderthal Intelligentsia discussed this very topic (just before Sadie the Creaming Lady’s hilarious slapstick routine) at O’Malley’s Friday night. Was our table bugged?

Synopsis of discussion was that ACT sentencing is like the “The Opposite” episode of Seinfeld. That’s the ep where Jerry decides everything always balances out for him doh I think I’ll just google a link here goes http://www.seinfeldscripts.com/TheOpposite.htm.

Amber HAD to go in because Todd didn’t.

philbert83au7:46 pm 24 Jun 07

Not too surprising that ACT is low gaoling…

Meanwhile to revisit a previous thread, was it just me or was Dickson a police state this afternoon? For several hours 3-4 police vehicles were driving around in circles. The new community policing thing?

Are these stats a surprise to ANYONE in the ACT?

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