🔗 Share this article

The number of Indigenous people dying while in detention in Australia has reached its record point since official data began in 1980.

Fresh statistics reveal that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in custody in the 12-month period leading up to June were Indigenous. This represents an uptick from 24 deaths in the preceding corresponding period.

Indigenous Australian people are grossly represented in the justice system. They constitute over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, even though comprising less than four per cent of the country's population.

These concerning statistics come to light more than three decades after a landmark royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made numerous of recommendations.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Figures

Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, twenty-six occurred 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 male.

The remaining six fatalities took place in police custody, defined as when someone dies while police are detaining them.

The primary reason of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," with "illness." The data noted that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Distribution

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

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

Demographic Details and Academic Reaction

The average age of those who died was 45 years, and 11 of the deceased were still waiting for a sentence.

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as representing a "national emergency" that needs "decisive action and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended several coronial inquests with bereaved families, said very little has changed since the 1991's royal commission that was established to address this crisis.

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

Since the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have died in custody, which encompasses six in youth detention, according to the report.