🔗 Share this article

The count of First Nations people dying while in custody in Australia has climbed to its peak point since the beginning of records started in 1980.

Recently released statistics indicate that 33 of the 113 people who died in custody in the year leading up to June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an increase from 24 deaths in the prior equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people are grossly overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They make up more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, despite representing under 4% of the national population.

These sobering figures come to light over three decades after a seminal inquiry into First Nations deaths in custody, which made hundreds of recommendations.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Statistics

Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, 26 took place while in a correctional facility, which is an rise from 18 in the previous year.

A single death was in a juvenile facility, and the vast majority of the deceased were male.

The other six deaths took place in police custody, defined as when someone passes away while police are detaining them.

The leading cause of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," with "natural causes." The data found that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the cases.

Geographic Breakdown

The Australian state of New South Wales recorded the greatest 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 increasing number of First Nations deaths in custody in this state is a "profoundly distressing tragedy," the state's coroner has said.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this upward trend was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "independent and careful examination, dignity and responsibility."

Demographic Information and Expert Response

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

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

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several coronial inquests with bereaved families, said very little has improved since the 1991's national inquiry that was established to tackle this crisis.

"It's heartbreaking to see the quantity of inquests I attend, the number funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years after the royal commission, and the problem is getting progressively worse," she noted.

Since the landmark inquiry, a total of 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in detention, which encompasses six in youth detention, according to the findings.