🔗 Share this article

The tally of First Nations people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has reached its peak point since official data began in 1980.

Fresh figures reveal that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in detention in the year leading up to June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an increase from 24 fatalities in the prior equivalent period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain disproportionately overrepresented in the justice system. They make up over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, despite representing under 4% of the national population.

These sobering numbers emerge over three decades after a pivotal inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward numerous of proposed changes.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Figures

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, 26 took place while in prison custody, which is an rise from 18 in the prior year.

One death was in a juvenile facility, and all except one of the individuals were men.

The remaining six fatalities took place in police custody, defined as a situation where someone passes away while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The primary reason of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-harm," with "illness." The report noted that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Breakdown

The Australian state of New South Wales had 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 First Nations deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "deeply distressing reality," the state's chief medical examiner recently remarked.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising trend was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths required "thorough and careful examination, respect and responsibility."

Profile Information and Expert Response

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

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, described the figures as representing a "national crisis" that requires "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended several official inquiries with bereaved families, stated very little has changed since the 1991 national inquiry that aimed to tackle this issue.

"It's infuriating to witness the quantity of investigations I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades past the inquiry, and the situation is getting progressively worse," she commented.

Since the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have died in detention, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, as per the report.