Aboriginal children sent to court 30 percentage points more than peers
NSW police issued court notices in 68% of Aboriginal child incidents versus 38% for non-Aboriginal children.
Aboriginal children in NSW are sent to court by police at much higher rates than other children, even when the law lets officers use gentler options. Police issued court notices in 68% of incidents with Aboriginal children.
For non-Aboriginal children, the rate was 38%. Police can pick diversion instead.
They can give a warning, a caution, or hold a youth justice conference that avoids court. Police diverted Aboriginal children 30 percentage points less often, even when that choice was available.
The gap grew as children got older. At age 17, the difference between the two groups reached 36 percentage points.
Aboriginal young people make up 60% of youth detention across NSW. Yet they are just 8% of all young people in the state.
- 68%
- Court notice rate, Aboriginal children
- 38%
- Court notice rate, non-Aboriginal
- 60% of total, 8% of population
- Aboriginal youth in detention
- 8 percentage points
- Unexplained gap after analysis
Why it mattersWhen police make different choices, Aboriginal kids enter the criminal system earlier and harder.
AustraliaAboriginal young people are trapped in a cycle that starts with police decisions in childhood and leads to prison; this data exposes a systemic gap in how justice is applied.
