This report analyses the numbers and rates of young people aged 10 and over who were in youth detention in Australia due to their involvement, or alleged involvement, in criminal activity. It focuses on trends over the 4-year period from the June quarter 2017 to the June quarter 2021.

Key findings:

• There were 819 young people in detention on an average night.
• Numbers and rates of young people in detention have fallen over time.
• Rates for sentenced detention fell, while unsentenced detention showed no clear trend over time.
• Half of those in detention were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
• Trends vary across the states and territories.