← Tasmania Youth Justice
Accountability TrackerTAS
Tasmania Youth Justice Tracker
What did the TAS government promise, who got the money, who runs those organisations, what’s their track record, and what’s the political context?
15
Avg daily detention
—
Indigenous overrepresentation
$3,400
Cost per day (detention)
70%
Unsentenced (remand)
The Story in Three Numbers
$1,241,000
per child per year in detention
70%
unsentenced (on remand)
3/10K
youth detention rate
Tasmania detains 15 children on an average day at $3,400/day. 70% of those detained haven't been sentenced — they're on remand.
The Numbers That Matter
Source: outcomes_metrics database — AIHW, ROGS, state reports.
15
Avg daily detention
63.9%
Recidivism (12 months)
70%
Unsentenced (remand)
Detention
$3,400/day
$1,241,000 per child per year
Community Supervision
$117.18/day
35.5x cheaper
ROGS 2026 — System Snapshot
7
Daily detention
77
Daily community
24
Detention beds
64.3%
Utilisation
5
Indigenous in detention
38
Indigenous in community
12
Males
3
Females
Sentenced vs Remand
AIHW quarterly avg nightly detention, ages 10-17. 75% are unsentenced — on remand, not convicted.
12
Unsentenced (remand)
↑ 100% since 2021-22
4
Sentenced
2023-24Q113
2023-24Q213
2023-24Q316
2023-24Q419
2024-25Q112
2024-25Q214
2024-25Q315
2024-25Q416
SentencedUnsentenced (remand)
Safety in Custody — 10-Year Trend
ROGS 2026 rates per 10,000 custody nights.
All Assaults25per 10K nights
↓ 36% since 2015-16
2015
39
2016
41
2017
46
2018
53
2019
50
2020
48
2021
55
2022
33
2023
33
2024
25
Self-harm & Attempted Suicide0per 10K nights
2015
0
2016
0
2017
0
2018
0
2019
0
2020
0
2021
0
2022
0
2023
0
2024
0
Cost per day (detention)$5,121(was $4,157 in 2015-16)
Closing the Gap — Target 11
Off TrackIndigenous youth detention rate per 10K — reduce overrepresentation by 2030-31.
Current (2023-24)
8.3
Projected 2030-31
7
How TAS Compares
Tasmania vs other states — AIHW Youth Justice 2023-24 & ROGS 2026.
| 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 count | 317 | 200 | 120 | 145 | 62 | 950 |
| Indigenous overrepresentation | 26x | 22x | 14x | 24x | 5x | 17x |
| First Nations detention rate (per 10K) | 42 | 32 | 18 | 38 | 25 | 26.1 |
| Avg days in detention | 104 | 55 | 37 | 68 | 45 | 62 |
| Cost per day (detention) | $2,162 | $3,200 | $7,123 | $2,573 | $4,800 | $3,635 |
| % unsentenced (remand) | 86% | 72% | 65% | 78% | 80% | 75% |
| 5-year trend (detention) | +53% | +86% | +37% | -10% | 0% | +19% |
Data from outcomes_metrics database. Sources: AIHW Youth Justice in Australia 2023-24, ROGS 2026 Table 17A.
1. Evidence & Accountability
Australian Living Map of Alternatives (ALMA) evidence for TAS youth justice programs.
13 of 39 interventions have formal evidence33%
Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre Youth Programs
Cultural ConnectionUntested (theory/pilot stage)
Anglicare Tasmania Youth Services
Wraparound SupportUntested (theory/pilot stage)
Colony 47 Youth Services
Wraparound SupportUntested (theory/pilot stage)
Tasmania Restorative Justice Conferencing
Diversion
Tasmania Youth Mental Health Services 2
Therapeutic
Tasmania Justice Reinvestment Project
Justice Reinvestment
Tasmania Youth Mental Health Services
Therapeutic
Keeping Kids Safe in Detention Action Plan 2024-2026
PreventionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)
Tasmania Community Youth Justice Services
DiversionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)
New Tasmanian Youth Justice Facility (Pontville)
TherapeuticPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)
Ashley Youth Detention Centre Community Alternatives
DiversionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)
Community Youth Justice
Community-Led
Tasmania Youth Mentoring Initiative 3
Wraparound Support
Tasmania Justice Reinvestment Project 4
Justice Reinvestment
Tasmania Restorative Justice Conferencing 4
Diversion
2. Political Context
Political Donations by Funded Orgs
| Donor | Recipient | Total | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Justice and Community Safety | Australian Labor Party (ACT Branch) | $259K | 2004-2005–2004-2005 |
| Department of Justice and Community Safety | Liberal Party of Australia - ACT Division | $195K | 2004-2005–2004-2005 |
Network Graph
Follow the Dollar: TAS Youth Justice
Trace funding flows from budget to recipients, contracts, and lobbying connections
Data sources: AIHW Youth Justice 2023-24, ROGS 2026, Closing the Gap Dashboard, state reports, ACNC, AusTender, ALMA, Hansard, Federal Lobbying Register, AEC Donations. All metrics for 2023-24 unless noted.