Australia

Capital city — Canberra

Country population
23,860,100
i
2015
Incarceration rate (per 100,000 inhabitants)
196
i
2015
/ Australian Bureau of Statistics
Type of government
Representative democracy
Human Development Index
0.939
i
2016
/ UNDP
Name of authority in charge of the prison…
Department of Corrective Services (Individual…
Total number of prisoners
36,134
i
2015
/ Australian Bureau of Statistics
Average length of imprisonment (in months)
36
months
i
2015
/ Australian Bureau of Statistics
Total number of prison facilities
111
i
2015
/ Australian Bureau of Statistics
An NPM has been established
No
Number and percentage of female prisoners
8 %
i
2015
/ Australian Bureau of Statistics
Incarcerated minors
2.4 %
i
2015
/ Aust. Instite of Health and Welfare
Death penalty is abolished
Yes
since 1973

Year2015

Contributor(s)Community Justice Coalition

Justice Action to defend human rights in prison
iExpress online communication tool for prisoners monitored by Justice Action
Community Justice Coalition on the criminal justice system
Right Now Association editorial on prisoners’ rights
Flat Out for women leaving prison
Amnesty International report, “A brighter tomorrow, keeping indigenous kids in the community and out of detention in Australia”, 2015

Report on the Health of Australia’s Prisoners 2015 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare)
A fact sheet compiled by the Human Rights Law Centre on mental health issues
For more information on the case of Tracy Brannigan (a detainee who died due to drug overdose)