🔗 Share this article

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

Recently released data reveal that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in custody in the year ending in June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an uptick from 24 deaths in the previous corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are severely represented in the justice system. They make up more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, even though representing less than four per cent of the country's people.

These sobering statistics emerge over three decades after a landmark royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made hundreds of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Latest Statistics

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

A single death was in a juvenile facility, and the vast majority of the individuals were men.

The remaining six fatalities happened in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone dies while police are detaining them.

The main cause of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-harm," followed by "illness." The data noted that hanging was the method in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Breakdown

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

The growing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in this state is a "deeply distressing tragedy," the state's chief medical examiner has said.

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, respect and accountability."

Demographic Information and Expert Reaction

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

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as representing a "national emergency" that needs "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several coronial inquests with grieving families, stated very little has changed since the 1991's national inquiry that aimed to tackle this crisis.

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

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