These range from fines and community service orders for relatively minor offences, to life imprisonment for the most serious. People given prison sentences represent a minority of all persons convicted of criminal offences. Shorter prison sentences are also handed down for less serious offences than these. The length of a sentence varies according to the nature and severity of the offence, the offender's criminal record and any mitigating circumstances. The length and type of sentence for a given crime also differs between States.
Periodic detention is currently available only to New South Wales courts.
It involves persons being in custody for two consecutive days a week, remaining at liberty for the rest of the week. There were 1,291 prisoners in this category at the time of the 1994 Prison Census. Trends During June 1996, there was a daily average of 16,806 prisoners in Australian prisons, up from 11,243 in June 1986 and 8,840 in June 1976. Imprisonment rates have also increased, from 91 persons for every 100,000 adults in the national population in 1976 to 96 persons in 1986 and 122 persons in 1996. The increase in imprisonment rates, most evident since the mid 1980s, has occurred for a number of reasons.