🔗 Share this article

The tally of First Nations people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has reached its peak point since records started in 1980.

Fresh figures reveal that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in custody in the 12-month period ending in June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an increase from 24 deaths in the preceding equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people remain severely represented in the criminal justice system. They make up more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, despite representing less than four per cent of the country's population.

These disturbing statistics come to light over three decades after a seminal inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Recent Statistics

Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, 26 occurred while in a correctional facility, which is an rise from 18 in the prior year.

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

The remaining six deaths happened in police custody, defined as when someone passes away while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The leading cause of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-harm," with "natural causes." The report found that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the cases.

Geographic Breakdown

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

The rising number of Indigenous deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "profoundly distressing milestone," the state's chief medical examiner recently said.

In October, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this rising trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths required "independent and careful scrutiny, dignity and accountability."

Profile Details and Expert Response

The mean age of those who died was 45 years, and eleven of the deceased were still waiting for a sentence.

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the figures as representing a "national crisis" that needs "leadership and political action."

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

"It's maddening to witness the quantity of inquests I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades after the royal commission, and the problem is getting progressively more severe," she noted.

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