🔗 Share this article

The count of Indigenous people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has climbed to its record point since official data began in 1980.

New figures indicate that 33 of the 113 people who died in custody in the 12-month period leading up to June have been identified as Indigenous. This marks an uptick from 24 fatalities in the preceding corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain severely overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They constitute over 33% of all prisoners, despite representing under 4% of the national people.

These sobering figures emerge over three decades after a seminal inquiry into First Nations deaths in custody, which made hundreds of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Recent Figures

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

One death was in a juvenile facility, and the vast majority of the individuals were men.

The remaining six deaths happened in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone dies while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The primary reason of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-harm," with "illness." The report found that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Breakdown

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

The increasing number of First Nations deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "profoundly distressing tragedy," the state's coroner has said.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this upward trend was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths required "thorough and careful scrutiny, respect and responsibility."

Demographic Information and Academic Reaction

The average age of those who died was 45, and 11 of the individuals were awaiting a sentence.

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as reflecting a "national emergency" that needs "leadership and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple coronial inquests with grieving families, said little has changed since the 1991's national inquiry that aimed to address this issue.

"It's infuriating to see the quantity of inquests I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years past the royal commission, and the situation is getting progressively worse," she noted.

From the time of the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in custody, which includes six in youth detention, as per the report.