🔗 Share this article

The tally of Indigenous people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has reached its record point since records began in 1980.

New statistics show that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in detention in the year leading up to June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an rise from 24 deaths in the prior equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people remain severely overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They constitute over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, even though comprising less than four per cent of the national people.

These disturbing figures come to light over three decades after a pivotal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made hundreds 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 increase from 18 in the previous year.

A single death occurred in a juvenile facility, and all except one of the individuals were male.

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

The main cause of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-harm," followed by "natural causes." The report found that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Breakdown

The Australian state of New South Wales recorded the highest 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 increasing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "profoundly distressing reality," the state's coroner has said.

In October, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising trend was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "independent and careful scrutiny, respect and accountability."

Demographic Information and Academic Reaction

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

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as reflecting a "national crisis" that requires "leadership and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple official inquiries with bereaved families, stated very little has changed since the 1991 national inquiry that was established to tackle this crisis.

"It's maddening to see the number of investigations I attend, the number funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years after the royal commission, and the problem is getting increasingly more severe," she noted.

Since the royal commission, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have died in detention, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, according to the findings.