Strength - The power to resist force

BLAK DOUGLAS | STOPtistics

As of mid 2025, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people continue to be over – represented in the Australian criminal justice system, accounting for ONE THIRD of all prisoners despite being only 3.8% of the Australian population today.

Data indicates a rise in remand, with 45.6% of Aboriginal adults in custody in March 2025 held on remand.

Key 2025 incarcerations trends …

Total numbers: There were 17 432 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander adult prisoners as of June 2025, a 10% increase from 2024.

Imprisonment rate: The National rate reached 2 481 per 100 000, making Indigenous peoples 15 TIMES MORE LIKELY to be incarcerated than non – Indigenous people.

Remand growth: in NSW, Aboriginal remands increased by 63% between March 2020 and Marh 2025, with 740 adults remanded for domestic violence – related offences by March 2025.

Youth detention: In the June 2025 quarter, 56% of young people in detention (aged 10+) were First Nations and they were 21 TIMES MORE LIKELY to be in detention than non – Indigenous young people.

Gender: 89% of Aboriginal prisoners are male and 11% are female.

Prior imprisonment: 76% of adult prisoners had experienced prior incarceration.

In the Northern Territory, the rate of incarceration was 3 029 per 100 000 for Aboriginal adults, highlighting extreme regional disparities.

In 2024 – 25, Australia recorded 33 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody, the HIGHEST ABBUAL NUMBER since record keeping began in 1979 – 80.

These deaths accounted for nearly 30% of all custodial deaths, with 26 occurring in prison, 6 in Police custody and 1 in youth detention.

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Blak Douglas, 2026