🔗 Share this article

The number of First Nations people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has climbed to its highest point since official data started in 1980.

Recently released statistics show that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in detention in the 12-month period leading up to June were Indigenous. This marks an increase from 24 fatalities in the preceding equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people remain severely represented in the criminal justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, even though representing less than four per cent of the national people.

These disturbing numbers emerge over three decades after a landmark inquiry into First Nations deaths in custody, which made hundreds of recommendations.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Figures

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, 26 took place while in a correctional facility, which is an rise from 18 in the previous year.

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

The other six fatalities took place in the custody of law enforcement, defined as a situation where someone dies while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The leading reason of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-harm," with "illness." The data found that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Breakdown

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 rising number of First Nations deaths in custody in this state is a "deeply distressing tragedy," the state's coroner recently remarked.

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

Profile Information and Expert Response

The average age of those who died was 45, and 11 of the deceased were still waiting for a sentence.

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the data as representing a "country-wide crisis" that requires "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several coronial inquests with grieving families, stated very little has improved since the 1991 national inquiry that was established to address this issue.

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

From the time of the royal commission, a total of 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in custody, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, according to the report.