🔗 Share this article

The count of Indigenous people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has climbed to its highest point since official data began in 1980.

Fresh statistics indicate that 33 of the 113 people who died in custody in the 12-month period ending in June have been identified as Indigenous. This marks an rise from 24 fatalities in the prior equivalent period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain grossly overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They make up more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, even though comprising less than four per cent of the national population.

These disturbing numbers come to light more than three decades after a seminal inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made numerous of recommendations.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Figures

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

A single death occurred 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 a situation where someone passes away while police are detaining them.

The leading reason of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-harm," with "natural causes." The data noted that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the cases.

Geographic Distribution

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

The increasing number of First Nations deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "profoundly distressing tragedy," the state's coroner has stated.

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

Profile Information and Academic Response

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

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, characterised the figures as representing a "country-wide emergency" that requires "decisive action and government action."

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

"It's heartbreaking to witness the quantity of inquests I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years after the inquiry, and the problem is getting increasingly more severe," she commented.

Since the royal commission, a approximately 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in detention, which encompasses six in youth detention, according to the findings.