🔗 Share this article

The number of Indigenous people dying while in custody in Australia has reached its highest point since the beginning of records started in 1980.

New data reveal that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in custody in the year ending in June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an uptick from 24 deaths in the previous equivalent period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain disproportionately overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all prisoners, despite comprising less than four per cent of the country's people.

These concerning numbers come to light over three decades after a pivotal inquiry into First Nations deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of recommendations.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Figures

Of the 33 Indigenous 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 was in youth detention, and the vast majority of the deceased were men.

The remaining six deaths took place in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone passes away while police are detaining them.

The main reason of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," followed by "natural causes." The report noted that hanging was the cause in eight of the cases.

Geographic Distribution

The state of New South Wales had the greatest number of Aboriginal deaths in correctional facilities with nine, then Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory each had 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 stated.

In a recent statement, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this rising trend was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "independent and careful scrutiny, dignity and responsibility."

Demographic Information and Expert Response

The mean age of those who died was 45, and eleven of the individuals were still waiting for a court sentencing.

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, characterised the figures as reflecting a "national emergency" that needs "decisive action and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple coronial inquests with grieving families, stated little has improved since the 1991's royal commission that aimed to address this crisis.

"It's maddening to see the quantity of inquests I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years after the royal commission, and the situation is getting increasingly worse," she commented.

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 findings.