🔗 Share this article

The number of First Nations people dying while in detention in Australia has climbed to its highest point since the beginning of records began in 1980.

New data indicate that 33 of the 113 people who died in custody in the 12-month period ending in June were Indigenous. This represents an uptick from 24 deaths in the previous corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain grossly overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all prisoners, even though comprising under 4% of the national population.

These sobering statistics come to light more than three decades after a pivotal royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Latest Statistics

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

One death occurred 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 passes away while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The main reason of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," followed by "illness." The report found that hanging was the method in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Distribution

The Australian state of New South Wales recorded the highest number of Indigenous deaths in correctional facilities with nine, then Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory each had three deaths.

The rising number of First Nations deaths in custody in this state is a "profoundly distressing milestone," the state's coroner recently stated.

In October, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this upward pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths required "thorough and careful examination, dignity and accountability."

Profile Information and Academic Reaction

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 figures as representing a "national crisis" that needs "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple coronial inquests with grieving families, said very little has improved since the 1991 national inquiry that aimed to address this issue.

"It's maddening to see the number of investigations I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades after the royal commission, and the problem is getting progressively worse," she commented.

Since the royal commission, a total of 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in detention, which encompasses six in youth detention, as per the report.