🔗 Share this article

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

Recently released data indicate that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in custody in the 12-month period leading up to June have been identified as Indigenous. This marks an increase from 24 deaths in the preceding equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people remain disproportionately overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They constitute over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, despite comprising less than four per cent of the country's population.

These disturbing figures emerge more than three decades after a seminal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made numerous of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Latest Statistics

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

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

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

The primary cause of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-harm," followed by "natural causes." The report noted that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Breakdown

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

The increasing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in this state is a "deeply distressing tragedy," the state's chief medical examiner recently remarked.

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

Demographic Information and Expert Reaction

The average age of those who died was 45, and 11 of the deceased were awaiting a court sentencing.

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

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

"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 problem is getting progressively worse," she noted.

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