🔗 Share this article

The number of First Nations people dying while in detention in Australia has climbed to its peak point since records started in 1980.

New data indicate that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in detention in the year leading up to June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an increase from 24 deaths in the previous corresponding period.

Indigenous Australian people are disproportionately overrepresented in the justice system. They make up over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, despite representing under 4% of the national population.

These disturbing figures come to light more than three decades after a landmark inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made hundreds of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Latest Figures

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

A single death was in a juvenile facility, and all except one of the individuals were men.

The remaining six deaths took place in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone dies while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The leading reason of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," with "illness." The report found that hanging was the cause in eight of the cases.

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 First Nations deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "profoundly distressing reality," the state's chief medical examiner has said.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this rising trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths demanded "independent and careful scrutiny, dignity and accountability."

Demographic Details and Academic Reaction

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

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the data as representing a "country-wide emergency" that requires "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple coronial inquests with bereaved families, said little has changed since the 1991's national inquiry that aimed to address this issue.

"It's maddening to see the quantity of investigations I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years past the inquiry, and the problem is getting increasingly worse," she commented.

Since the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in custody, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, as per the findings.