🔗 Share this article

The count of First Nations people dying while in custody in Australia has climbed to its record point since official data began in 1980.

New statistics reveal that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in detention in the 12-month period ending in June have been identified as Indigenous. This represents an rise from 24 fatalities in the prior corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain grossly overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, despite representing under 4% of the national people.

These sobering figures come to light more than three decades after a landmark inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made numerous of recommendations.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest 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.

A single death occurred in youth detention, and the vast majority of the individuals were male.

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

The primary cause of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," followed by "natural causes." The data noted that hanging was the cause in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Breakdown

The Australian state of New South Wales had the greatest number of Aboriginal deaths in prison custody 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 "deeply distressing milestone," the state's coroner recently said.

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

Demographic Information and Academic Response

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

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as reflecting a "country-wide crisis" that needs "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several coronial inquests with bereaved families, said very little has improved since the 1991 national inquiry that aimed to tackle this crisis.

"It's infuriating to see the number of investigations I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades after the royal commission, and the problem is getting progressively more severe," she commented.

Since the landmark inquiry, a total of 600 First Nations people have died in custody, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, according to the findings.