Crime in Nauru
Nauru has a low crime rate and a majority of crime in the country are related to traffic offences. Multiple people from the penal colony of Norfolk Island escaped to Nauru in the 19th century, with one murdering a dozen people. Australia pays Nauru to host immigration detention centres.
History
John Jones, a convict from the penal colony of Norfolk Island, arrived in Nauru in the 1830s and murdered at least a dozen people. William Harris also escaped Norfolk Island and arrived at Nauru in 1842.The Japanese Empire's occupation of the island resulted in mass killings that lowered the population to less than 600.
Australia pays Nauru to house the immigration detention centre Nauru Regional Processing Centre. A riot broke out at the detention centre in 2013. In 2025, Australia deported three criminals to Nauru, including one murderer, despite none of the three people being citizens of Nauru.
Law
Arbitrary arrest and detention are illegal in Nauru. People can only be held for up to 24 hours by police without a hearing before a magistrate. The right to a fair and public trial is enshrined in the Constitution of Nauru.The maximum penalty for rape is twenty-five years. No executions were carried out in Nauru between its independence in 1968, and the abolition of the death penalty in 2016.