🔗 Share this article

The tally of Indigenous people dying while in custody in Australia has reached its peak point since official data started in 1980.

New figures reveal that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in custody in the 12-month period leading up to June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an increase from 24 deaths in the prior corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are grossly represented in the justice system. They constitute over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, despite comprising less than four per cent of the country's population.

These concerning figures come to light more than three decades after a landmark royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made hundreds of proposed changes.

Detailed Analysis of the Recent Statistics

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, 26 took place while in prison custody, which is an rise from 18 in the previous year.

One death was in youth detention, and all except one of the individuals were men.

The other six fatalities happened in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone passes away while police are detaining them.

The main reason of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-harm," with "natural causes." The data found that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the deaths.

State-by-State Breakdown

The Australian state of New South Wales recorded the highest number of Indigenous deaths in prison custody with nine, then Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory each had three deaths.

The rising number of First Nations deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "deeply distressing milestone," the state's chief medical examiner has stated.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this rising trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths required "independent and careful examination, respect and responsibility."

Demographic Details and Academic Response

The average age of those who died was 45, and eleven of the deceased were awaiting a sentence.

A university expert, Amanda Porter, described the figures as representing a "national emergency" that needs "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple coronial inquests with grieving families, said very little has improved since the 1991 royal commission that aimed to tackle this issue.

"It's infuriating to see the quantity of investigations I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years past the inquiry, and the situation is getting increasingly worse," she commented.

Since the royal commission, a approximately 600 First Nations people have died in detention, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, as per the findings.