🔗 Share this article

The tally of Indigenous people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has reached its record point since the beginning of records started in 1980.

New data reveal that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in detention in the year leading up to June have been identified as Indigenous. This marks an increase from 24 deaths in the preceding equivalent period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain severely overrepresented in the justice system. They make up over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, despite comprising under 4% of the country's population.

These disturbing figures emerge over three decades after a pivotal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made numerous of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Recent Statistics

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, twenty-six occurred while in prison custody, which is an increase from 18 in the prior year.

A single death was in youth detention, and the vast majority of the individuals were men.

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

The leading reason of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," followed by "illness." The data found that hanging was the cause in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Distribution

The Australian state of New South Wales had the highest number of Indigenous deaths in prison custody with nine, followed by Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory all recorded three deaths.

The growing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "deeply distressing reality," the state's chief medical examiner recently said.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this rising trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths required "independent and careful examination, dignity and accountability."

Demographic Information and Expert Reaction

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

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as reflecting a "country-wide emergency" that needs "decisive action and government action."

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

"It's infuriating to see the quantity of investigations I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years after the royal commission, and the situation is getting progressively worse," she noted.

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