incidents per offender and a corresponding 40.4% increase in the average number of alleged offences per offender. The decline in the number of cases (as demonstrated in Figure 2) has outpaced the slight decline in the number of charges when the new bail-related offences are excluded (as demonstrated by Figure 3). As a result, Figure 4 shows that there has been an increase in the average number of charges per case since 2013, even when the new bail-related offences are excluded. it is not possible to determine from the data, the increase in the average number of charges per case may also reflect changed charging practices by Victoria Police. Distribution of sentence types in 2015 Figure 5 presents the distribution of sentence types imposed in the Children’s Court by the most serious sentence imposed in a case in 2015 (the most recent year in the dataset). For example, if a single case received both a fine and a youth supervision order, the youth supervision order (as the most serious sentence imposed), has been recorded as the sentence for the case. Figure 5: Percentage of cases by most serious sentence type in case, Children’s Court, 2015 Most serious sentence type Percentage of cases Good behaviour bond 35.1 Probation order 20.7 Fine 15.7 Youth supervision order 11.3 Accountable undertaking 6.6 Dismissal 4.0 Youth justice centre order 3.1 Youth attendance order 1.7 Unaccountable undertaking 1.0 Convicted and discharged 0.6 Youth residential centre order 0.2 Good behaviour bonds were the most common sentence imposed (in 35.1% of cases) followed by probation orders (20.7%), fines (15.7%), youth supervision orders (11.3%), and accountable undertakings (6.6%). The remaining sentencing orders were each applied in less than 5% of cases. The most serious sentences available – detention in either a youth justice centre (where the offender is under 15) or a youth residential centre (where the offender is 15 and over) – were imposed in 3.1% and 0.2% of cases, respectively.
Children held on remand The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare publication Youth Justice in Australia 2014–15 contains the most recent published data on the number of children held on remand in Victoria. That report uses the term ‘number on an average day’ to mean the average number on any given day over the period examined. The Council has used the same term to be consistent with the data source. For the financial year 2014–15, the number of unsentenced children in detention in Victoria on an average day was 54. This number is the highest across the last five years of available data. The total number of unsentenced children received into detention in Victoria throughout the financial year 2014–15 was 472. Figure 22 shows the number of children on remand in Victoria on an average day for the five financial years, 2010–11 to 2014–15. After a decline from 2010–11, the number of children on remand on an average day between 2011–12 and remained relatively constant (between 36 and 38 children); in 2014–15, however, it increased substantially to 54. Figure 22: Number of unsentenced children in detention in Victoria, on an average day, to 2014–15 Year 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Number of unsentenced children in detention 43 37 38 36 54 Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. data are consistent with, and demonstrate, the concerns expressed by the Children’s Court and representatives of youth justice advocates discussed at [2.24]–[2.26] in relation to the increase in remand rates of children following the 2013 changes to the Bail Act 1977 (Vic). As discussed, these changes made it an offence to contravene certain conduct conditions of bail or to commit an indictable offence whilst on bail, and applied to both adults and children. may be a range of factors that have contributed to increases in remand of children (including, for example, a lack of appropriate accommodation outside custody). The data presented earlier in this report, however, suggest that the new bail