🔗 Share this article

The count of First Nations people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has hit its highest point since the beginning of official data started in 1980.

New data show that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in detention in the year leading up to June have been identified as Indigenous. This marks an uptick from 24 deaths in the prior equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people remain severely overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They make up over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, despite representing less than four per cent of the country's people.

These concerning figures emerge more than three decades after a pivotal inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Recent Statistics

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, 26 took place while in a correctional facility, which is an increase from 18 in the previous year.

A single death was in a juvenile facility, and the vast majority of the deceased were men.

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

The primary reason of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," with "natural causes." The data noted that hanging was the cause in eight of the cases.

Geographic Distribution

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

The increasing number of First Nations deaths in custody in this state is a "profoundly distressing tragedy," the state's coroner recently remarked.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this rising trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful examination, respect and accountability."

Demographic Information and Expert Response

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

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

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple official inquiries with bereaved families, said little has improved since the 1991 national inquiry that aimed to tackle this issue.

"It's heartbreaking to witness the quantity of investigations I attend, the number funerals families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades after the inquiry, and the problem is getting progressively worse," she noted.

Since the royal commission, a total of 600 Indigenous people have died in custody, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, as per the findings.