Length of detention for women in immigration detention The average period in closed immigration detention has continued to decline from previous years. At its peak on 31 January 2023, it reached 806 days.36 As of 30 June 2024, the average period in detention was 565 days.37 At this time, 354 people (or 38.6% of the entire population) had been detained for greater than one year.38 While the Commission welcomes the continued declining average period, it remains concerned that the period remains far higher than in comparable jurisdictions. For example, in Canada the average period of detention in the 2023 — 2024 financial year was only 19 days.39 Across the 2012 — 2024 financial year period, the average length of detention in Canada was 20.7 days and the average median length of stay was 3.2 days.40 In the United Kingdom, in the year ending March 2024, close to 60% of all people who left immigration detention had been detained for 28 days or fewer.41 The negative impacts of prolonged detention are substantial, with the following observations previously made by the Commission: Prolonged closed detention is a risk factor for mental ill-health, as the negative impacts of immigration detention on mental health tend to worsen as the length of detention increases.42 This is of particular concern in the current context, given the consistently high average length of detention in recent years, and the large number of people being held in closed detention facilities for prolonged periods.43 While the Department publishes statistics on the average period people are held in immigration detention on a regular basis, these statistics are not broken down by gender. As part of the preparation for this thematic inspection the Commission requested data on the length of detention for women in immigration detention from the Department at intervals and received data covering 24 January 2024, 20 March 2024, 12 April 2024 and 4 May 2024. Figure Two: Women in detention: Length of detention data by type, total and longest individual stay 2 (Covering 24 January, 20 March, 12 April and 4 May 2024) Figure 2: Women in detention: Length of detention data by type, total and longest individual stay (Covering 24 January, 20 March, 12 April and 4 May 2024)44 1200 1014 DAYS IN DETENTION 1000 938 917 894 800 600 400 200 0 323 305 269 108 January 211 267 150 78 March 236 137 178 90 April 258 157 204 106 May Average Length of Detention (Visa Cancellation) Average Length of Detention (Visa Overstayer) Average Length of Detention (Air Arrival) Average Length of Detention (Total) Longest Individual Length of Detention As Figure 2 demonstrates, on average, women detained due to a visa cancellation (including a section 501 cancellation) are held in closed immigration detention for longer periods than women detained for any other reason. The longest length of detention for an individual woman was 1,014 days (or 2.8 years) and over the period for which data was requested this remained above 2 years. Background – Women in immigration detention 13