More than half the juveniles released from detention in WA are back in the youth justice system within a year, new figures show.

In a sign that the State is failing to rehabilitate young offenders, the Productivity Commission’s latest report on government performance reveals WA has the highest rate of young offenders being returned to sentenced supervision in the country.

The report, released today, found that 54.8 per cent of 10 to 16-year-olds were sent back within 12 months.

The national average was 47.2 per cent, with the next highest proportion being in Queensland, where 48 per cent of young people released were returned to sentenced supervision in 2014-15.

Corrective Services Minister Fran Logan blamed WA’s poor performance on the Barnett government’s handling of Banksia Hill Detention Centre, saying it had affected programs at the facility.

“The State’s only detention centre was in chaos, with repeated riots and millions of dollars wasted on repairing needless damage caused by some detainees,” Mr Logan said. “It meant that rehabilitation, education and life-skill programs could not be run properly for individuals with highly complex needs.”

The commission said many factors were likely to influence youth reoffending patterns, including a young person’s family environment and social circumstances.

Ensuring young people had suitable, stable accommodation on release was a critical factor.

“Youth justice services aim to promote community safety, rehabilitate and reintegrate young people who offend and contribute to a reduction in youth reoffending,” the report said. “A low rate of returns to sentenced youth justice supervision is desirable.”

The report also found that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people were significantly over-represented in youth detention, with indigenous youths 25 times more likely to be locked up.

WA had the highest rate of detention of Aboriginal young people in 2015-16, followed by South Australia and the Northern Territory.