Results revealed that an overwhelming majority of young people have no contact with the criminal with the criminal justice system. A majority of those who do have contact in the form of a court appearance have only one appearance. However, a sizeable minority of juveniles has several court appearances leading to conviction. Only a relatively low number of those convicted go to juvenile correctional institutions. Juvenile correctional institutions held 780 persons ages 10-17 years on June 30, 1998. The rate of 37 institutionalized juveniles per 100,000 relevant population was far lower than the rate for adults. The number of persons in juvenile correctional institutions per 100,000 relevant population declined during 1981-92, increased in 1993, and seems to have stabilized since 1994. National rates mask differences among jurisdictions. New South Wales accounts for almost half the total. The rate of juvenile incarceration does not vary by quarter. Rates of incarceration of indigenous juveniles have declined an average of 1.7 percent a quarter during 1993-98, whereas non-Indigenous rates have remained stable over the same period. The proportion of juveniles held on remand has increased from 21.4 percent of the total number of persons in juvenile correctional institutions in 1981 to 42.6 percent in 1998. Figures and tables