🔗 Share this article

The tally of First Nations people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has climbed to its highest point since records began in 1980.

Recently released statistics show that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in custody in the year ending in June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an increase from 24 fatalities in the prior equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people remain grossly represented in the criminal justice system. They make up over 33% of all prisoners, even though comprising less than four per cent of the national population.

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

Breakdown of the Recent Statistics

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, twenty-six occurred while in prison custody, which is an rise from 18 in the prior year.

One death occurred in youth detention, and the vast majority of the individuals were men.

The other six deaths took place in the custody of law enforcement, defined as a situation where someone passes away while police are detaining them.

The main reason of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," followed by "illness." The report found that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the cases.

Geographic Breakdown

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 "profoundly distressing milestone," the state's coroner has said.

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

Demographic Information 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 reflecting a "national emergency" that needs "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple official inquiries with grieving families, said very little has changed since the 1991 national inquiry that was established to address this issue.

"It's infuriating to see the quantity of investigations I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades past the inquiry, and the problem is getting increasingly more severe," she commented.

From the time of the royal commission, a total of 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in custody, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, according to the report.