Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in Australia Hit Record Level Since the Start of 1980

The count of First Nations people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has hit its highest point since records started in 1980.

New data indicate that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in detention in the year leading up to June were Indigenous. This represents an increase from 24 fatalities in the previous equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people are severely represented in the justice system. They constitute over 33% of all prisoners, even though comprising under 4% of the country's people.

These concerning numbers emerge more than three decades after a seminal royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made numerous of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Recent Figures

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, 26 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 men.

The remaining six fatalities happened in police custody, defined as when someone dies while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The leading reason of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-harm," followed by "illness." The report noted that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Breakdown

The Australian state of New South Wales had 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 growing number of First Nations deaths in custody in this state is a "profoundly distressing milestone," the state's coroner has said.

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

Demographic Details and Expert Reaction

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

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the figures as representing a "national emergency" that requires "leadership and government action."

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

"It's maddening to witness the quantity of investigations I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades after the inquiry, and the problem is getting progressively more severe," she commented.

Since the royal commission, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in detention, which encompasses six in youth detention, according to the findings.