🔗 Share this article

The count of First Nations people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has climbed to its record point since records began in 1980.

Fresh figures reveal that 33 of the 113 people who died in detention in the year leading up to June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an rise from 24 fatalities in the previous corresponding period.

Indigenous Australian people are severely overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They make up over 33% of all prisoners, despite comprising under 4% of the country's people.

These disturbing statistics 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 Recent 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 male.

The other six deaths took place in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone dies while police are detaining them.

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

Geographic Breakdown

The state of New South Wales recorded the greatest number of Indigenous deaths in correctional facilities with nine, then 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 New South Wales is a "profoundly distressing reality," the state's coroner recently stated.

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

Profile Details and Expert Reaction

The average age of those who died was 45 years, and 11 of the individuals were awaiting a sentence.

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the figures as reflecting a "national crisis" that requires "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended several coronial inquests with grieving families, stated little has improved since the 1991 royal commission that was established to address this crisis.

"It's heartbreaking to witness the quantity of investigations I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades past the royal commission, and the problem is getting increasingly worse," she noted.

From the time of the royal commission, a total of 600 Indigenous people have died in detention, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, as per the report.