🔗 Share this article

The tally of Indigenous people dying while in custody in Australia has reached its highest point since official data began in 1980.

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

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain severely overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They make up more than one-third of all prisoners, even though representing under 4% of the national population.

These disturbing numbers emerge over three decades after a seminal inquiry into First Nations deaths in custody, which made numerous of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Recent Statistics

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

A single death was in youth detention, and all except one of the individuals were male.

The remaining six deaths took place in police custody, defined as a situation where someone passes away while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The main cause of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," with "illness." The data found that hanging was the cause in eight of the cases.

Geographic Distribution

The state of New South Wales recorded the greatest number of Indigenous deaths in prison custody with nine, then Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory all recorded three deaths.

The growing number of First Nations deaths in custody in this state is a "profoundly distressing milestone," the state's chief medical examiner recently said.

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

Profile Details and Academic Reaction

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

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as reflecting a "national crisis" that requires "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple official inquiries with grieving families, stated little has improved since the 1991's national inquiry that was established to tackle this issue.

"It's heartbreaking to witness the quantity of investigations I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades after the royal commission, and the problem is getting increasingly worse," she commented.

From the time of the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have died in detention, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, according to the findings.