First Nations Deaths in Custody in the Nation Climb to Highest Level Since 1980

The tally of Indigenous people dying while in custody in Australia has reached its highest point since the beginning of records started in 1980.

New data show that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in detention in the year leading up to June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an rise from 24 deaths in the preceding corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are disproportionately overrepresented in the justice system. They constitute over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, even though comprising less than four per cent of the country's people.

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

Detailed Analysis of the Recent Figures

Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, 26 occurred while in a correctional facility, which is an rise from 18 in the prior year.

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

The other six fatalities took place in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone passes away while police are detaining them.

The primary cause of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," followed by "natural causes." The data found that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the deaths.

State-by-State Breakdown

The state of New South Wales recorded the greatest number of Aboriginal 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 increasing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in this state is a "deeply distressing tragedy," the state's chief medical examiner recently stated.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful examination, respect and responsibility."

Profile Details and Academic Response

The average age of those who died was 45, and eleven of the individuals were awaiting a court sentencing.

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, characterised the figures as representing a "national emergency" that needs "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended several coronial inquests with grieving families, said little has improved since the 1991's royal commission that aimed to address this crisis.

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

Since the royal commission, a approximately 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in detention, which encompasses six in youth detention, as per the report.