🔗 Share this article

The number of First Nations people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has reached its highest point since the beginning of records began in 1980.

Recently released statistics reveal that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in custody in the 12-month period leading up to June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an uptick from 24 deaths in the previous equivalent period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all prisoners, despite comprising less than four per cent of the national population.

These disturbing statistics come to light more than three decades after a landmark royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of recommendations.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Statistics

Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, twenty-six took place while in prison custody, which is an rise from 18 in the prior year.

A single death occurred in a juvenile facility, and all except one of the deceased were men.

The remaining six fatalities happened in the custody of law enforcement, defined as a situation where someone passes away while police are detaining them.

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

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 each had three deaths.

The rising number of First Nations deaths in custody in this state is a "deeply distressing tragedy," the state's coroner has said.

In October, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this upward pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths required "independent and careful examination, dignity and responsibility."

Demographic Details and Expert Response

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

A university expert, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as representing a "country-wide emergency" that needs "leadership and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several official inquiries with grieving families, said little has changed since the 1991's national inquiry that was established to address this issue.

"It's maddening to witness the number of investigations I attend, the number funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years after the inquiry, and the problem is getting progressively worse," she commented.

Since the royal commission, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in detention, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, as per the report.