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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 4 Hansard (30 March) . . Page.. 1225 ..


Periodic Detention Days and Community Work Hours

(Question No. 245)

Mr Stanhope asked the Attorney-General, upon notice, on 30 March 2000:

In relation to the successive Quarterly Output Reports from the Department of Justice & Community Safety which report that the number of periodic detention days and the number of community work hours have been low due to change in client profile, coupled with a rise in non-attendance and breach rates:

1. How has the 'client profile' changed.

2. What is the current profile of the typical periodic detainee or person ordered to do community service.

3. What was the profile of those people at the time of Periodic Detention Centre (PDC) opened.

4. What procedures are in place to ensure that persons ordered to serve periodic detention sentences report to PDC as required.

5. What procedures are in place to locate periodic detainees who do not report as required.

6. How many periodic detainees have had their sentences extended for failure to report;

- by one detention period; or

- by two detention periods.

7. How many periodic detainees have been granted leave of absence after they have failed to report as required.

8. How many persons have been prosecuted for failure to attend the PDC as required.

9. Have any custodial officers been charged with any offences connected with the failure of a periodic detainee to report as required.

Mr Humphries: The answers to Mr Stanhope's questions are as follows:

1. Changes in Periodic Detention & Community Service client profiles by age and gender from the Periodic Detention Centre's inaugural year to the most current 12-month period are illustrated in Tables 1 (a) and (b) below. For offence profiles by offence category for the same periods, see Tables 2 (a) and (b), on following page.

2. Refer to Tables 1 (a) and (b) .

3. Refer to Tables 1 (a) and (b) .

TABLE 1 (a): COMPARISON OF PDC CLIENT PROFILES

Age (8/9/95* - 7/9/96) (31/3/99 - 1/4/00)

Female Male Total Female Male Total

18-30 1 32 33 (41%) 3 32 35 (60%)

(3 A TSI) (4 A TSI)

31+ 1 47 48 (59%) 1 22 23 (40%)

(4 A TSI) (2 A TSI)

TOTAL 2 79 81 4 54 58

(NO- (of which (7 ATS1) (No (of which (6 ATSI)

ATSI) 7 ATSI) A TSI) 6 A TSI)

Table 1 (a) shows a 19% decline in percentage of offenders aged over 30 (from 59% of the client population in the PDC's inaugural year, to 40% for the most recent 12-month period). Note also a 28% reduction in overall numbers (from 81 in 1995-1996 to 58 in 1999-2000.


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