🔗 Share this article

The tally of Indigenous people dying while in detention in Australia has climbed to its record point since records began in 1980.

Fresh figures show that 33 of the 113 people who died in detention in the year ending in June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an increase from 24 fatalities in the preceding corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are disproportionately represented in the justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, despite representing less than four per cent of the country's people.

These disturbing numbers come to light more than three decades after a pivotal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made hundreds of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Latest Statistics

Of the 33 Aboriginal 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 deceased were male.

The remaining six fatalities happened in police custody, defined as when someone passes away while police are detaining them.

The primary cause of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-harm," followed by "illness." The data found that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Distribution

The state of New South Wales had the greatest number of Indigenous deaths in prison custody with nine, then Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory each had three deaths.

The growing number of First Nations deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "profoundly distressing milestone," the state's coroner recently stated.

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

Demographic Details and Academic Response

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

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the figures as representing a "country-wide crisis" that requires "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple official inquiries with bereaved families, said little has changed since the 1991's royal commission that aimed to address this crisis.

"It's infuriating to witness the quantity of investigations I attend, the number funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades after the inquiry, and the situation is getting increasingly more severe," she noted.

Since the royal commission, a total of 600 First Nations people have died in custody, which includes six in youth detention, according to the findings.