Aboriginal Fatalities in Custody in Australia Climb to Highest Level Since the Start of 1980

The tally of Indigenous people dying while in custody in Australia has hit its peak point since the beginning of official data started in 1980.

Recently released data reveal that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in detention in the 12-month period leading up to June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an increase from 24 deaths in the previous equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people are grossly represented in the criminal justice system. They make up more than one-third of all prisoners, despite comprising under 4% of the country's people.

These concerning figures emerge more than three decades after a pivotal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which put forward numerous of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Latest Figures

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

One death was in a juvenile facility, and the vast majority of the deceased were men.

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

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

Geographic Distribution

The Australian state of New South Wales recorded the highest number of Aboriginal deaths in correctional facilities with nine, followed by 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 New South Wales is a "deeply distressing tragedy," the state's coroner has stated.

In October, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this upward trend was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths required "thorough and careful examination, respect and accountability."

Demographic Information and Expert Response

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

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the figures as representing a "country-wide emergency" that needs "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple official inquiries with grieving families, said very little has changed since the 1991 royal commission that was established to tackle this crisis.

"It's infuriating to witness the quantity of investigations I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years after the inquiry, and the situation is getting progressively more severe," she noted.

Since the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in detention, which includes six in youth detention, according to the report.