🔗 Share this article

The count of First Nations people dying while in custody in Australia has reached its highest point since the beginning of official data started in 1980.

New statistics indicate that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in detention in the 12-month period leading up to June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an uptick from 24 fatalities in the preceding equivalent period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain severely represented in the criminal justice system. They constitute over 33% of all prisoners, even though representing less than four per cent of the national population.

These concerning figures come to light over three decades after a landmark inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made hundreds of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Recent Figures

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.

One death was 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 dies while police are detaining them.

The main cause of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," followed by "natural causes." The report found that hanging was the method in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Distribution

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

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

Demographic Information and Academic Reaction

The mean age of those who died was 45, and eleven of the individuals were awaiting a sentence.

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

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several official inquiries with bereaved families, stated little has improved since the 1991 royal commission that was established to tackle this issue.

"It's maddening to see the number of investigations I attend, the number funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades past the royal commission, and the situation is getting increasingly more severe," she commented.

From the time of the landmark inquiry, a total of 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in custody, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, as per the findings.