A reduction in offending by young Indigenous people in NSW and attempts to avoid custodial sentences have caused a 25 per cent reduction in the number of young Indigenous people in custody.
The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research reported on Thursday that the average number of young Indigenous people in custody between 2015 and 2019 fell from 161 to 121 per day.
The number of young Indigenous people in remand fell by 21 per cent, while the number in sentenced custody fell by 29 per cent.
BOCSAR said the decline was driven by two factors.
Firstly, a reduction in charges being laid against young Indigenous people in NSW, particularly for property and traffic offences.
Secondly, fewer convicted young Indigenous people in NSW were given custodial sentences, with other penalties increasingly preferred by courts.
The proportion of convicted young Indigenous people receiving custodial sentences fell from 14 per cent in 2015 to 10 per cent in 2019.
BOCSAR executive director Jackie Fitzgerald said fewer young Indigenous people in NSW were engaging in risk-taking behaviour, coming into police contact, entering the court system and ending up behind bars.
However, over-representation in the prison population remains a problem, with some 40 per cent of the state's juvenile detention population being Indigenous.
Indigenous people make up almost half of all juveniles on remand.
"The result allows for cautious optimism that Aboriginal over-representation in custody can be shifted," Ms Fitzgerald said.
"Unfortunately, despite improvements, we still have a long way to go."
YOUNG INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN CUSTODY IN NSW:
* Down from 161 per day (2015) to 121 per day (2019)
* Number in remand down 21 per cent
* Number in sentenced custody down 29 per cent
* Number charged by police down from 3685 (2015) to 3324 (2019)
* Reduction in convictions from 2896 (2015) to 2198 (2019)
* Number handed a custodial sentence down from 404 (2015) to 221 (2019)
* Proportion of convicted young Indigenous people who receive a custodial sentence down from 14 per cent (2015) to 10 per cent (2019)
SOURCE: BOCSAR
