2.4 Prison sentenced snapshot trend by age

For more details see: data source and enrichment methodology; data spreadsheet .

This graph indicates a very significant change in the composition of the prisoner population over recent decades. Over almost 30 years, the number of prisoners in the 20—29 years age group has grown quite slowly, while those in the 15-19 years age group has actually declined. Growth in overall numbers has almost entirely been amongst older offenders. In 1980, prisoners aged 30 years and over made up 20% of the sentenced population; they now comprise 58% of the total.