🔗 Share this article

The count of Indigenous people dying while in detention in Australia has reached its record point since the beginning of records began in 1980.

Recently released data indicate that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in custody in the 12-month period ending in June have been identified as Indigenous. This represents an increase from 24 fatalities in the preceding corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are grossly overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They constitute over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, even though representing less than four per cent of the country's people.

These concerning numbers emerge more than three decades after a seminal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of recommendations.

Detailed Analysis of the Recent Figures

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, twenty-six occurred while in a correctional facility, which is an rise from 18 in the previous year.

One death was in a juvenile facility, and the vast majority of the individuals were male.

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

The primary cause of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," followed by "natural causes." The report found that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the deaths.

State-by-State Breakdown

The Australian state of New South Wales had the highest 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 Indigenous deaths in custody in this state is a "profoundly distressing tragedy," the state's coroner recently remarked.

In a recent statement, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this upward trend was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful examination, respect and accountability."

Demographic Information and Expert Reaction

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

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the data as reflecting a "national emergency" that requires "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several coronial inquests with grieving families, said very little has changed since the 1991 royal commission that aimed to tackle this issue.

"It's infuriating to see the quantity of investigations I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years past the royal commission, and the problem is getting increasingly worse," she noted.

Since the royal commission, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in custody, which includes six in youth detention, according to the findings.