🔗 Share this article

The count of First Nations people dying while in detention in Australia has reached its record point since records began in 1980.

Fresh statistics indicate that 33 of the 113 people who died in detention in the year ending in June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an rise from 24 deaths in the previous corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain severely represented in the justice system. They make up more than one-third of all prisoners, even though representing less than four per cent of the country's people.

These sobering figures come to light over three decades after a seminal royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made hundreds of proposed changes.

Detailed Analysis 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 occurred in youth detention, and all except one of the individuals were male.

The other six deaths happened in police custody, defined as when someone passes away while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The main cause of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-harm," followed by "natural causes." The report noted that hanging was the cause in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Distribution

The Australian state of New South Wales had the greatest number of Indigenous 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 increasing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "deeply distressing reality," the state's coroner has stated.

In a recent statement, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this upward trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful examination, respect and accountability."

Demographic Information and Expert Reaction

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

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, described the figures as representing a "country-wide crisis" that needs "decisive action and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple official inquiries with grieving families, said little has changed since the 1991 national inquiry that aimed to address this issue.

"It's infuriating to see the quantity of inquests I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years past the royal commission, and the problem is getting progressively more severe," she commented.

From the time of the royal commission, a approximately 600 First Nations people have died in custody, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, according to the report.