🔗 Share this article

The tally of Indigenous people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has reached its peak point since records began in 1980.

Recently released figures reveal that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in custody in the year leading up to June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an increase from 24 fatalities in the previous corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. They make up more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, even though comprising less than four per cent of the country's people.

These disturbing statistics emerge over three decades after a pivotal royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward numerous of recommendations.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Figures

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.

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

The other six fatalities happened in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone passes away while police are detaining them.

The leading reason of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," with "illness." The report found that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the cases.

Geographic Distribution

The state of New South Wales had the highest 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 growing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "profoundly distressing milestone," the state's coroner has stated.

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 scrutiny, respect and responsibility."

Demographic Details and Academic Response

The mean age of those who died was 45 years, and eleven of the individuals were awaiting a court sentencing.

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the figures as representing a "country-wide crisis" that requires "decisive action and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several official inquiries with bereaved families, stated very little has changed since the 1991 national inquiry that aimed to address this crisis.

"It's maddening to witness the number of investigations I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades past the inquiry, and the problem is getting progressively more severe," she noted.

Since the royal commission, a total of 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in custody, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, as per the report.