🔗 Share this article

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

Recently released figures reveal that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in detention in the 12-month period ending in June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an increase from 24 deaths in the previous corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are severely represented in the justice system. They make up over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, even though representing less than four per cent of the national population.

These sobering statistics emerge more than three decades after a landmark inquiry into First Nations deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Recent Statistics

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

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

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

The primary reason of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," with "natural causes." The report noted that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the cases.

Geographic Breakdown

The state of New South Wales recorded 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 rising number of Indigenous deaths in custody in this state is a "deeply distressing milestone," the state's coroner has remarked.

In a recent statement, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this upward trend was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "independent and careful scrutiny, dignity and accountability."

Demographic Details and Academic Reaction

The average age of those who died was 45 years, and eleven of the deceased were awaiting a sentence.

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

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several coronial inquests with grieving families, stated little has improved since the 1991's national inquiry that was established to tackle this issue.

"It's heartbreaking to see the quantity of investigations I attend, the number funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades past the inquiry, and the problem is getting progressively more severe," she noted.

Since the landmark inquiry, a total of 600 Indigenous people have died in custody, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, as per the report.