🔗 Share this article

The number of First Nations people dying while in custody in Australia has reached its record point since the beginning of records started in 1980.

Fresh data reveal that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in custody in the year leading up to June have been identified as Indigenous. This marks an increase from 24 deaths in the previous equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people remain severely overrepresented in the justice system. They constitute over 33% of all prisoners, despite comprising less than four per cent of the national people.

These sobering numbers emerge over three decades after a landmark royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made numerous of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Latest Statistics

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, twenty-six took place while in prison custody, which is an increase from 18 in the previous year.

A single death occurred in youth detention, and all except one of the deceased were men.

The other six deaths took place in the custody of law enforcement, defined as a situation where someone dies while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The primary cause of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," followed by "natural causes." The report noted that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the deaths.

State-by-State Distribution

The Australian state of New South Wales had the greatest number of Aboriginal deaths in correctional facilities with nine, followed by Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory each had three deaths.

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

In October, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful examination, respect and accountability."

Demographic Information and Academic Response

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

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

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several coronial inquests with bereaved families, said little has changed since the 1991's national inquiry that was established to tackle this issue.

"It's heartbreaking to witness the number of inquests I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years past the inquiry, and the problem is getting increasingly worse," she noted.

From the time of the landmark inquiry, a total of 600 Indigenous people have died in custody, which includes six in youth detention, as per the findings.