--- title: Young people in detention on an average night, by quarter, Australia, 2008 to 2016 resource: https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/ publisher: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare licence: CC BY 3.0 AU licence_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/ version: 2017-07-25 rows: 42768 fields: 8 source: https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/469ea5ba-2ab3-4972-a045-52bfc87fc512/resource/c7edfa08-7bc9-404d-8f2b-22bcd0425021/download/youth-justice-detention-data-2017.csv source_sha256: a8d9fdfbbf158e4ad87e4c3fa31d3b4107b1838753036412b9c621633d6d565b language: en-AU operator: National Digital not_endorsed: true --- # Young people in detention on an average night, by quarter, Australia, 2008 to 2016 The average number of young people in detention each night, each quarter from 2008 to 2016, by state, age group, Indigenous status, legal status and sex, from the AIHW. Published by Australian Institute of Health and Welfare under CC BY 3.0 AU and republished here in other formats, with cells typed and suppressed values made null. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has not endorsed this site. Also called: Youth Justice Detention Data, Juvenile detention population Australia, Young people in detention by Indigenous status, Average nightly youth detention population. ## Download Latest version, redirects to `https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/v/2017-07-25/`: - csv: https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/latest/data.csv (2.8 MB) - xlsx: https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/latest/data.xlsx (1.3 MB) - json: https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/latest/data.json (7.4 MB) - parquet: https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/latest/data.parquet (32 KB) - sqlite: https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/latest/data.sqlite (4.9 MB) - duckdb: https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/latest/data.duckdb (700 KB) - ndjson: https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/latest/data.ndjson (7.3 MB) - arrow: https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/latest/data.arrow (641 KB) - csv.gz: https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/latest/data.csv.gz (175 KB) Pinned version 2017-07-25: `https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/v/2017-07-25/data.`. Dated versions never change. ## Query The query API returns only the rows you ask for, as JSON, NDJSON or CSV, from the same typed rows as the files. It needs no key. Rows: https://publicdata.au/api/v1/datasets/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/rows. Counts and sums: https://publicdata.au/api/v1/datasets/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/aggregate. - Rows: https://publicdata.au/api/v1/datasets/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/rows?quarter=eq.2016-06-01&age_group=eq.Total&indigenous_status=eq.Total&legal_status=eq.Total&sex=eq.Total&state=neq.Aust&limit=5 - Aggregate: https://publicdata.au/api/v1/datasets/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/aggregate?group=state&metric=sum.avg_nightly_population&quarter=eq.2016-06-01&age_group=eq.Total&indigenous_status=eq.Total&legal_status=eq.Total&sex=eq.Total&state=neq.Aust Each filter is `field=operator.value` in the query string, and every filter must match. A number or date field compares as a number or date, and a text field compares as text. Values are case-sensitive except with `ilike`. Prefix `not.` to negate a filter, as `not.eq.value`. Operators: `eq.value`, `neq.value`, `gt.value`, `gte.value`, `lt.value`, `lte.value`, `like.*text*`, `ilike.*text*`, `in.(a,b,c)`, `is.null`. - `select`: Fields to return, comma-separated. Every field when absent. - `order`: `field.asc` or `field.desc`, comma-separated. The publisher's row order when absent. - `limit`: Rows per page, 1 to 10,000. 100 when absent. - `offset`: Rows to skip. The `next` URL in each answer sets it for you. - `group`: On `aggregate`, fields to group by, comma-separated. - `metric`: On `aggregate`, `count`, `sum.field`, `avg.field`, `min.field` or `max.field`, comma-separated. `count` when absent. - `format`: `json`, `ndjson` or `csv`. JSON carries the provenance header, and the others carry it in response headers. Without a version the API answers from the newest loaded version, and that answer changes when the publisher releases again. Put `versions//` before `rows` or `aggregate` for an answer that never changes. `/api/v1/datasets//versions` lists the loaded versions. The API allows 60 requests in 10 seconds from one address. Above that it answers 429 for 10 seconds with a `Retry-After` header, a `RateLimit-Policy` header and a JSON body that gives the limit. Every API answer carries the same `RateLimit-Policy`. A client should wait the `Retry-After` seconds, or read the files, which have no limit. OpenAPI for this dataset: https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/openapi.json ## Explore Charts and dashboards in the browser: https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/explore/. A dashboard can be shared as a link or embedded. ## Smaller files - by `state`: https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/v/2017-07-25/by/state/index.json lists 9 files ## Fields | field | type | publisher's header | note | |---|---|---|---| | `state` | string | state | | | `quarter` | date | quarter | First day of the last month of the quarter, so June 2008 is the June quarter 2008. | | `year` | integer | year | | | `age_group` | string | agegrp | | | `indigenous_status` | string | indig_status | | | `legal_status` | string | legal_status | | | `sex` | string | sex | | | `avg_nightly_population` | integer | avg_nightly_pop | | Key: `state, quarter, age_group, indigenous_status, legal_status, sex`. ## Versions - 2017-07-25: 42768 rows, 8 fields, sha256 a8d9fdfbbf15. https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/v/2017-07-25/ Machine-readable: https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/versions.json, https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/changes.json, https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/datapackage.json, https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/schema.json, https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/history.tar.zst ## Same subject, other publishers - [Young people in youth detention each day by Indigenous status, Queensland 2011 to 2016](https://publicdata.au/d/qld-youth-detention-daily-by-indigenous-status/) (Qld) - [Young people in youth detention each day by age group, Queensland 2011 to 2016](https://publicdata.au/d/qld-youth-detention-daily-by-age/) (Qld) - [Young people in youth detention each day by detention centre, Queensland 2011 to 2016](https://publicdata.au/d/qld-youth-detention-daily-by-centre/) (Qld) - [Young people in youth detention each day by legal status, Queensland 2011 to 2016](https://publicdata.au/d/qld-youth-detention-daily-by-legal-status/) (Qld) - [Young people in youth detention each day by sex, Queensland 2011 to 2016](https://publicdata.au/d/qld-youth-detention-daily-by-sex/) (Qld) - [Youth justice services, Report on Government Services](https://publicdata.au/d/rogs-youth-justice/) (Cth) - [Corrective services, Report on Government Services](https://publicdata.au/d/rogs-corrective-services/) (Cth) ## Attribution and citation Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Government, Youth Justice Detention Data, sourced 3 October 2026, https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/youth-justice-detention-data, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. The licence requires the publisher's attribution. We ask that you also name publicdata.au and link to the version you used. Plain text: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Government, Youth Justice Detention Data, sourced 3 October 2026, https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/youth-justice-detention-data, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Serialised and versioned by National Digital at publicdata.au, https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/v/2017-07-25/ Harvard: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2017) Young people in detention on an average night, by quarter, Australia, 2008 to 2016, version 2017-07-25 [data set], CC BY 3.0 AU, sourced 3 October 2026. Serialised and versioned by National Digital at publicdata.au. Available at: https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/v/2017-07-25/ Markdown: Data: [Young people in detention on an average night, by quarter, Australia, 2008 to 2016](https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/youth-justice-detention-data), Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, [CC BY 3.0 AU](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/), sourced 3 October 2026. Files: [publicdata.au](https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/v/2017-07-25/) by [National Digital](https://nationaldigital.com.au/). ## Questions ### How do I download Young people in detention on an average night, by quarter, Australia as a CSV file? Open https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/latest/data.csv. It redirects to the newest dated version, which is https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/v/2017-07-25/data.csv today. The same path serves Excel, JSON, Parquet, SQLite, DuckDB, NDJSON, Arrow. A dated URL never changes, so use it when the file must stay the same. ### Can I open Young people in detention on an average night, by quarter, Australia in Excel? Yes. https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/v/2017-07-25/data.xlsx is a workbook with the 42,768 rows on a records sheet, the field list on a second sheet and the provenance on a third. The CSV also opens in Excel. https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/v/2017-07-25/data.csv.gz is the CSV at about a tenth of the size. ### What years does Young people in detention on an average night, by quarter, Australia cover? The current version covers 2008 to 2016. Each release from AIHW becomes a new dated version here, and earlier versions stay online. ### How often is Young people in detention on an average night, by quarter, Australia updated? AIHW no longer updates it. This site checks the portal every week and adds a dated version when the file changes. ### Can I use Young people in detention on an average night, by quarter, Australia commercially? Yes. CC BY 3.0 AU allows commercial use, redistribution and derived works as long as the attribution is kept. The attribution string is in this page's side column and inside every file. ### Is this the official source for Young people in detention on an average night, by quarter, Australia? No. The publisher is Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, and its page is https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/youth-justice-detention-data. This site republishes the publisher's file without changing its content. The original sits beside every version as source.csv with its SHA-256, so the two can be compared. ### How do I get only the rows for one state? Every version has one JSON file per value of state, 9 files in the current version, listed with row counts at https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/v/2017-07-25/by/state/index.json. For example https://publicdata.au/d/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly/v/2017-07-25/by/state/act.json holds the 4,752 rows where state is ACT. ### What is in each row? The average number of young people in detention on a night in one quarter from June 2008 to June 2016, for one state or territory or Australia, one age group, Indigenous status, legal status and sex. Each of those carries a Total group, so the rows overlap and should not be summed across a group that has a Total. ### Why does the series stop in 2016? The Institute published this file with its report Youth detention population in Australia 2016 and has not added to it on data.gov.au. Later figures are in the Institute's yearly Youth detention population reports. Some figures here may differ from the 2016 report because of later revisions. ### Why are adults counted? Some people aged 18 and over are held in youth detention, mostly because they offended as young people. The Institute counts them in the 18+ age group. ## What this site did to the data Cells were typed, headers were renamed to snake_case and the encoding was made UTF-8. Rows were left alone. Nothing is derived. The publisher's file is beside every version as `source.csv`. ## Improve this dataset This page is built from [register/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly.yaml](https://github.com/National-Digital/publicdata.au/blob/main/register/au-youth-detention-population-quarterly.yaml) on GitHub, and a fix to it is welcome as a pull request. https://publicdata.au/contribute/ explains how.