🔗 Share this article

The number of Indigenous people dying while in custody in Australia has reached its highest point since the beginning of official data began in 1980.

Recently released data indicate that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in custody in the 12-month period leading up to June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an uptick from 24 deaths in the previous corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are severely overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They make up over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, even though comprising less than four per cent of the national population.

These concerning statistics emerge more than three decades after a landmark royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made numerous of proposed changes.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Statistics

Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, 26 occurred while in prison custody, which is an rise from 18 in the previous year.

A single death was in youth detention, and the vast majority of the individuals were male.

The remaining six fatalities took place in police custody, defined as a situation where someone passes away while police are detaining them.

The main reason of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-harm," followed by "illness." The data noted that hanging was the cause in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Breakdown

The state of New South Wales recorded the highest number of Aboriginal deaths in prison custody with nine, followed by Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory all recorded three deaths.

The growing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "deeply distressing reality," the state's coroner recently said.

In October, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising pattern was not "just statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful scrutiny, respect and accountability."

Profile Information and Academic Reaction

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

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the figures as representing a "country-wide crisis" that needs "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several official inquiries with grieving families, stated very little has improved since the 1991 royal commission that was established to address this issue.

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

From the time of the royal commission, a total of 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in custody, which includes six in youth detention, as per the report.