🔗 Share this article

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

Fresh figures show that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in custody in the 12-month period ending in June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an rise from 24 deaths in the previous corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are disproportionately overrepresented in the justice system. They constitute over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, despite comprising less than four per cent of the national population.

These concerning statistics come to light more than three decades after a landmark inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Latest Statistics

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

One death was in youth detention, and the vast majority of the individuals were men.

The other six deaths happened in police custody, defined as a situation where someone dies while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

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

State-by-State Breakdown

The state of New South Wales recorded the greatest number of Aboriginal deaths in correctional facilities with nine, then 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 chief medical examiner recently remarked.

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

Demographic Information and Expert Response

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

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as representing a "country-wide emergency" that requires "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple coronial inquests with bereaved families, stated little has improved since the 1991 national inquiry that was established to address this crisis.

"It's heartbreaking 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 situation is getting progressively worse," she commented.

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