← Youth Justice
State Deep DiveNT
Northern Territory Youth Justice
The NT has the highest detention rate in Australia (17 per 10K) with 62 children detained daily. 80% unsentenced. Despite 5x overrepresentation ratio, the NT's First Nations detention rate (25/10K) is among the highest.
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Limited data coverage
NT has 265 justice funding records across 11 sources (2015-16–2026-2030). Sections below may appear sparse. More data sources are being added.
$63.0M
NT Youth Justice Funding
62
Avg Daily Detention
5x
First Nations Overrepresentation
71%
Evidence Coverage
Key Outcomes
AIHW Youth Justice 2023-24 & ROGS 2026 data.
17
Detention rate per 10K
62
Avg daily detention
80%
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.
55%
Detention-based
$530.4M
36%
Community-based
$351.9M
9%
Group conferencing
$90.1M
DetentionCommunityConferencing
Funding by Program
Don Dale Replacement Youth Detention Facility1 grants$55.0M1 orgs
Youth Justice Services1 grants$8.0M1 orgs
Top Funded Organisations
| Organisation | Grants | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Territory Families, Housing and Communities | 68 | $3.2B |
ALMA Interventions (77)
Oochiumpa Youth Services
Oonchiumpa Consultancy & Services
Wraparound SupportEffective (strong evaluation, positive outcomes)NTNational
Youth Justice Conferencing (NT)
DiversionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)NT
Groote Eylandt Justice Reinvestment
Amaroo Aboriginal Corporation
Justice ReinvestmentPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)NT
Youth Pre-Court Diversion Scheme (YDS)
DiversionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)NTVIC
Youth Justice Conferencing (Expanded)
DiversionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)NTPalmerstonRemote communities
Don Dale Youth Detention Centre
TherapeuticPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)NTTop End
Alice Springs Youth Detention Centre
NT Department of Attorney-General and Justice
TherapeuticPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)NT
Royal Commission into Protection and Detention of Children in Northern Territory
PreventionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)NT
Tangentyere Council Youth Programs
Tangentyere Charitable Trust No 2
Community-LedUntested (theory/pilot stage)NTTown camps
Tennant Creek Mob Youth Diversion Services
DiversionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)Ali CurungBarklyElliottNT
Maningrida Justice Reinvestment Program
Justice ReinvestmentPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)NTManingridaWest Arnhem LandArnhem Land
Territory Families Youth Justice Services
Northern Territory Government Printing Office
Wraparound SupportEffective (strong evaluation, positive outcomes)NT
NT Youth Outreach and Re-engagement (YORE)
Northern Territory Government Printing Office
Wraparound SupportEffective (strong evaluation, positive outcomes)NT
Granite Belt Youth Support Service
Community Development Services Inc
Wraparound SupportUntested (theory/pilot stage)NTQLD
Winton Shire Council Youth Service
Community-LedUntested (theory/pilot stage)NTQLD
Monto Rural Youth Service
LiveBetter Services Limited
Wraparound SupportUntested (theory/pilot stage)NTQLD
Jesuit Social Services NT Youth Justice Programs
Jesuit Social Services Limited
DiversionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)NTPalmerstonSA
Lajamanu Justice Reinvestment
Kurdiji Aboriginal Corporation
Cultural ConnectionUntested (theory/pilot stage)NT
Youth Camps and On-Country Programs
Cultural ConnectionUntested (theory/pilot stage)Multiple communitiesNT
Central Australian Youth Link-Up Service (CAYLUS)
Tangentyere Council Aboriginal Corporation
Community-LedUntested (theory/pilot stage)NT
Urapuntja Health Service Youth Program
Urapuntja Aboriginal Corporation
PreventionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)NTUtopiaRemote communities
NAAJA Youth Throughcare
Wraparound SupportPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)NTPalmerston
Gap Youth & Community Centre Programs
PreventionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)NTThe Gap
Ngurratjuta/Pmara Ntjarra Justice Reinvestment (Papunya, Mt Liebig, Haasts Bluff)
Ngurratjuta/Pmara Ntjarra Aboriginal Corporation
Justice ReinvestmentPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)Haasts BluffNTPapunya
Central Australia Justice Reinvestment Initiative
Justice ReinvestmentEffective (strong evaluation, positive outcomes)NT
Evidence Coverage
55 of 77 interventions have formal evidence71%
55 with evidence22 without evidence
Political Connections
No political connection data available for NT youth justice organisations.
Network Graph
Explore Northern Territory Youth Justice funding flows
Interactive force-directed graph showing programs, recipients, and evidence links