🔗 Share this article

The number of First Nations people dying while in custody in Australia has hit its record point since the beginning of records started in 1980.

New figures reveal that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in detention in the year leading up to June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an rise from 24 fatalities in the preceding equivalent period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are severely overrepresented in the justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, despite comprising under 4% of the national population.

These sobering statistics emerge more than three decades after a pivotal inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made numerous of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Latest Statistics

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 previous year.

One death was in youth detention, and all except one of the deceased were men.

The other six fatalities happened in police custody, defined as a situation where someone passes away while police are detaining them.

The primary cause of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-harm," with "natural causes." The data found that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Distribution

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 rising number of First Nations deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "profoundly distressing tragedy," the state's coroner recently stated.

In October, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this upward pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths required "independent and careful examination, dignity and responsibility."

Demographic Details and Academic Response

The average age of those who died was 45 years, and eleven 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 official inquiries with grieving families, stated little has improved since the 1991's royal commission that aimed to address this issue.

"It's heartbreaking to witness the number of investigations I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years past the inquiry, and the situation is getting increasingly worse," she noted.

From the time of the royal commission, a approximately 600 First Nations people have died in custody, which includes six in youth detention, according to the report.