This report looks at young people who were under youth justice supervision in Australia during 2020–21 because of their involvement or alleged involvement in crime. It explores the key aspects of supervision, both in the community and in detention, as well as recent trends.

Some data are included from the period during which COVID-19 and related social restrictions were present in Australia, specifically between March 2020 and June 2021.

Key findings:

• Of the 4,695 young people under youth justice supervision on an average day in 2020–21, most were male (81%) and supervised in the community (84%).
• Overall rates of supervision varied among the states and territories, from 7.3 per 10,000 in Victoria to 32 per 10,000 in the Northern Territory.
• Rates of supervision fell over the 5 years from 2016–17 to 2020–21 for community-based supervision and detention.