Who Gets Locked Up? The Australian Police Custody Survey *

During August 1988 the National Police Custody Survey was conducted: data were collected on each occasion on which a person was held in a police cell anywhere in Australia. The survey was undertaken to provide information on the size and composition of the police cell population to assist in interpreting data on Aboriginal deaths in custody. A total of 28,566 incidents of police custody occurred during. the month, involving approximately 23,877 separate individuals. Aboriginal people made up almost 29% of the total; having a custody rate 27 times that of non–Aboriginal people. Substantial differences existed between the eight States and Territories in custody rates and on other variables. Public drunkenness was the most frequent reason for custody, accounting for 35% of cases, and the median length of time in the cells was 5.9 hours. It is concluded that the survey data are reasonably representative of the decade and that the survey should be repeated at regular intervals.