CRIN has compiled information published on the number of child offenders detained in the criminal justice system to highlight the information available as well as the gaps. All sources used in the compilation of this information are referenced and links are included. If you are aware of any errors or inaccuracies in this information, please contact us at [email protected].
Australia
The Australian Institution for Health and Welfare produces statistics on the “youth detention population” in Australia. Annual bulletins include figures on the number of people aged 10 to 17 who are held in youth detention on an average night in June.
2010: 1,045 (includes an estimate for Western Australia and Northern Territory, which did not provide figures).
2011: 1,055
2012: 1.024
2013: 970
2014: 929
2015: 885
Figures published by UNODC on the number of children held in prison, penal institutions or correctional institutions cover the period 2007 to 2010, but are significantly lower than the figures produced by the Australian Institution for Health and Welfare where they overlap.
2007: 760
2008: 779
2009: 815
2010: 790
These UNODC figures are the number of children detained on a specific day and exclude detention for non-criminal purposes.
Fiji
During its 2013 report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (paras. 268 to 372), Fiji provided figures on the number of children held in detention centres between 1995 and 2000.
1995: 33
1996: 32
1997: 19
1998: 24
1999: 39
2000: 24
The Committee asked for more recent statistics in its list of written questions, but Fiji did not specifically respond to that request.
The World Prison Brief reports that as of September 2014, 0.7 percent of the prison population in Fiji were “juveniles”. If this proportion remained stable, an estimated 11 children would have been detained in prisons in Fiji in 2014.
Kiribati
CRIN has not been able to locate statistics on the number of children detained within the criminal justice system in Kiribati.
Marshall Islands
CRIN has not been able to locate statistics on the number of children detained within the criminal justice system in the Marshall Islands.
Micronesia, Federated States of
The World Prison Brief reports that as of December 2013, 0.9 percent of the prison population were “juveniles”, meaning that the population of children detained would have one in 2013.
Nauru
CRIN has been unable to locate statistics on the number of children detained in the criminal justice system in Nauru.
New Zealand
Statistics published by the New Zealand’s department of corrections group people aged 0-19 within the prison population statistics, making it impossible to identify how many children are in detention. Similarly, sentencing figures produced by Statistics New Zealand, identify how many people aged 0-19 were sentenced to detention sentences annually, but not how many of these people were under 18.
Figures published by UNODC show a dramatic downturn in the number of children (aged under 18) held in prisons, penal institutions and correctional institutions between 2006 and 2013.
2005: 106 (9.8 per 100,000)
2006: 114 (10.5 per 100,000)
2007: 96 (8.8 per 100,000)
2008: 94 (8.6 per 100,000)
2009: 80 (7.3 per 100,000)
2010: 91 (8.4 per 100,000)
2011: 63 (5.8 per 100,000)
2012: 56 (5.1 per 100,000)
2013: 55 (5.0 per 100,000)
These figures are the number of children detained on a specific day and exclude detention for non-criminal purposes.
Palau
The World Prison Brief reports that as of 2014, 5.6 percent of the prison population were under 18. If this proportion were stable, it would mean that three children were detained as of 2013.
Papua New Guinea
The World Prison Brief reports that as of November 2014, 3.9 percent of the prison population was under the age of 18. If this proportion were stable, it would mean that an estimated 135 children were detained in prisons as of 2012.
Samoa
The World Prison Brief reports that as of October 2015, 5 percent of the prison population in Samoa was under the age of 18. If this proportion were stable, it would mean that an estimated 21 children were detained in prisons as of 2011.
Solomon Islands
The World Prison Brief reports that as of September 2014, 5.9 percent of the prison population in Solomon Islands was under the age of 18, meaning that an estimated 17 children were detained in prison as of that year.
Tonga
CRIN has not been able to locate statistics on the number of children detained within the criminal justice system in Tonga, but the World Prison Brief reports that as of July 2014, 9.7 percent of the prison population were under the age of 20. If this proportion were stable, it would mean that an estimated 15 people under the age of 20 were detained in prisons in the country.
Tuvalu
CRIN has not been able to locate statistics on the number of children detained within the criminal justice system of Tuvalu.
Vanuatu
CRIN has not been able to locate statistics on the number of children detained within the criminal justice system of Vanuatu, but the World Prison Brief reports that as of December 2014, 0.7 percent of the prison population was under 16. If this proportion were stable, it would mean that an estimated one person under the age of 16 was held in prison as of 2012.