🔗 Share this article

The tally of Indigenous people dying while in custody in Australia has reached its record point since official data started in 1980.

Recently released figures show that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in detention in the 12-month period leading up to June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an increase from 24 fatalities in the prior corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are severely represented in the criminal justice system. They make up more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, despite comprising less than four per cent of the national people.

These concerning statistics come to light over three decades after a seminal royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made numerous of proposed changes.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Figures

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

A single death was in a juvenile facility, and all except one of the deceased were men.

The other six deaths happened in the custody of law enforcement, defined as a situation where someone dies while police are detaining them.

The primary reason of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," with "illness." The data found that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Breakdown

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

The growing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in this state is a "deeply distressing milestone," the state's chief medical examiner recently said.

In a recent statement, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "independent and careful examination, dignity and responsibility."

Demographic Information and Expert Response

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

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the figures as representing a "country-wide emergency" that needs "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several coronial inquests with bereaved families, said very little has changed since the 1991's national inquiry that was established to tackle this issue.

"It's maddening to witness the quantity of investigations I attend, the many memorials 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 landmark inquiry, a total of 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in detention, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, according to the report.