← Youth Justice
State Deep DiveACT
Australian Capital Territory Youth Justice
The ACT has the smallest youth justice system with 12 children detained daily, but the highest cost per day nationally ($5,200). 74% are unsentenced. $306M in 10-year ROGS spending.
$17.3M
ACT Youth Justice Funding
12
Avg Daily Detention
15
ALMA Interventions
53%
Evidence Coverage
Key Outcomes
AIHW Youth Justice 2023-24 & ROGS 2026 data.
2.2
Detention rate per 10K
12
Avg daily detention
74%
Unsentenced (remand)
Detention rate per 10,000 young people
| Metric | QLD | NSW | VIC | WA | NT | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detention rate (per 10K) | 5.1 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 4.2 | 17 | 3.4 |
| Avg daily detention | 317 | 200 | 120 | 145 | 62 | 950 |
| Indigenous overrepresentation | 26x | 22x | 14x | 24x | 5x | 17x |
| % unsentenced (remand) | 86% | 72% | 65% | 78% | 80% | 75% |
| Cost per day (detention) | $2,162 | $3,200 | $7,123 | $2,573 | $4,800 | $3,635 |
| 5-year trend | +53% | +86% | +37% | -10% | 0% | +19% |
Sources: AIHW Youth Justice in Australia 2023-24, ROGS 2026 Table 17A.
Where the Money Goes (ROGS)
Productivity Commission ROGS 2026 — 10-year expenditure breakdown.
79%
Detention-based
$241.4M
18%
Community-based
$56.2M
3%
Group conferencing
$8.7M
DetentionCommunityConferencing
Funding by Program
Children, Youth and Family Services - Youth Justice1 grants$14.1M1 orgs
| →Community Services Directorate | 1 | $14.1M |
Blueprint for Youth Justice1 grants$3.2M1 orgs
Top Funded Organisations
| Organisation | Grants | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Community Services Directorate | 68 | $986.2M |
ALMA Interventions (15)
Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT Youth Justice Program
Aboriginal Corporation Legal Service South Coast
DiversionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)NSWACTStatewide
OzChild ACT Youth Programs
Wraparound SupportUntested (theory/pilot stage)ACT
ACT Restorative Justice Unit
ACT Government
DiversionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)ACT
Bimberi Youth Justice Centre
ACT Government
Wraparound SupportUntested (theory/pilot stage)ACT
Gugan Gulwan Youth Aboriginal Corporation
Cultural ConnectionUntested (theory/pilot stage)ACT
Australian Capital Territory Youth Diversion Program
ACT Justice and Community Safety Directorate
DiversionACT
Australian Capital Territory Community-Led Youth Initiative
ACT Justice and Community Safety Directorate
Community-LedACT
Australian Capital Territory Youth Mentoring Initiative
ACT Justice and Community Safety Directorate
Wraparound SupportACT
Australian Capital Territory Youth Housing Support
ACT Justice and Community Safety Directorate
Wraparound SupportACT
Australian Capital Territory Restorative Justice Conferencing
ACT Justice and Community Safety Directorate
DiversionACT
Australian Capital Territory Youth Mental Health Services
ACT Justice and Community Safety Directorate
TherapeuticACT
Australian Capital Territory Justice Reinvestment Project
ACT Justice and Community Safety Directorate
Justice ReinvestmentACT
Youth Justice Aboriginal Practice Mandate
Cultural ConnectionACT
Aruma Interchange Youth Programs
Wraparound SupportPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)NSWQLDVICACT
Uniting Youth Services
Early InterventionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)NSWACT
Evidence Coverage
8 of 15 interventions have formal evidence53%
8 with evidence7 without evidence
| Intervention | Type | Evidence | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory Community-Led Youth Initiative | Community-Led | Gap | — |
| Australian Capital Territory Justice Reinvestment Project | Justice Reinvestment | Gap | — |
| Australian Capital Territory Restorative Justice Conferencing | Diversion | Gap | — |
| Australian Capital Territory Youth Housing Support | Wraparound Support | Gap | — |
| Australian Capital Territory Youth Mental Health Services | Therapeutic | Gap | — |
| Australian Capital Territory Youth Mentoring Initiative | Wraparound Support | Gap | — |
| Youth Justice Aboriginal Practice Mandate | Cultural Connection | Gap | — |
| Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT Youth Justice Program | Diversion | Yes | Independent inspection and review of ACT youth detention |
| Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT Youth Justice Program | Diversion | Yes | Evaluation of family support program for parents with justice history |
| Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT Youth Justice Program | Diversion | Yes | Performance audit of Youth Justice Conferencing program |
| ACT Restorative Justice Unit | Diversion | Yes | Evaluation of Murri Court operations across Queensland |
| ACT Restorative Justice Unit | Diversion | Yes | — |
| ACT Restorative Justice Unit | Diversion | Yes | Evaluation of culturally-specific youth justice diversion program |
| Aruma Interchange Youth Programs | Wraparound Support | Yes | Meta-analysis of 47 Australian mentoring programs |
| Australian Capital Territory Youth Diversion Program | Diversion | Yes | The evaluation utilized a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data analysis of recidivism rates with qualitative interviews from participants and stakeholders. |
| Australian Capital Territory Youth Diversion Program | Diversion | Yes | The review involved a comprehensive analysis of existing literature and policies related to juvenile diversion across Australia. |
| Bimberi Youth Justice Centre | Wraparound Support | Yes | Point-in-time census of young people under youth justice supervision |
| Bimberi Youth Justice Centre | Wraparound Support | Yes | — |
| Bimberi Youth Justice Centre | Wraparound Support | Yes | Independent inspection and review of ACT youth detention |
| Gugan Gulwan Youth Aboriginal Corporation | Cultural Connection | Yes | Community hearings and assessment of government directorate commitments to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities |
| Gugan Gulwan Youth Aboriginal Corporation | Cultural Connection | Yes | Policy implementation review examining adherence to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle |
| OzChild ACT Youth Programs | Wraparound Support | Yes | — |
| OzChild ACT Youth Programs | Wraparound Support | Yes | — |
| OzChild ACT Youth Programs | Wraparound Support | Yes | — |
| OzChild ACT Youth Programs | Wraparound Support | Yes | Case study analysis of program implementation and outcomes. |
| OzChild ACT Youth Programs | Wraparound Support | Yes | — |
| OzChild ACT Youth Programs | Wraparound Support | Yes | — |
| OzChild ACT Youth Programs | Wraparound Support | Yes | — |
| Uniting Youth Services | Early Intervention | Yes | Meta-analysis of 47 Australian mentoring programs |
Community-Controlled Funding Gap
Non-Indigenous
$986.2M
1 orgs, avg grant $14.5M
Political Connections
No political connection data available for ACT youth justice organisations.
Network Graph
Explore Australian Capital Territory Youth Justice funding flows
Interactive force-directed graph showing programs, recipients, and evidence links