A crackdown on alleged domestic violence offenders has led to record high number of people locked up in NSW jails, with almost half yet to face court.
NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) data released on Thursday shows there were currently 14,070 people in the state’s prisons.
Of those, 6650 are being held on remand as they await court dates and trials – up more than 15 per cent on the previous year.
“We are looking at an extraordinarily sharp rise in the prison population over a relatively short period,” BOCSAR executive director Jackie Fitzgerald said.
“Prison numbers have grown more in four months than they did in the previous four years.
“Nearly half of all people in custody are now on remand, meaning they have not been convicted and are waiting for their matters to be finalised by the courts, marking a significant shift in the composition of the prison population,” Ms Fitzgerald said.
She said that the growth in remand is particularly steep among those who have been charged with domestic and family violence – making up a 41 per cent over the past four months.
NSW Police have been running Operation Amarok since January 2023, targeting alleged domestic violence offenders, leading to thousands of arrests across the state.
Ms Fitzgerald also attributed the increase to more robust police activity in general, with almost 62,000 adults charged with offences from December 2025 to March 2026 – a 13 per cent increase on the 12 months prior.
“What we are seeing is increased police activity and stronger enforcement resulting in more people entering the justice system,” Ms Fitzgerald said.
“Rather than a change in crime cates, higher charging levels are driving higher remand numbers, particularly for domestic violence.”
The number of male inmates in custody is at 13,108, with 962 female prisons. The statistics shows more than a third of those in custody are Aboriginal (4834 people).
