🔗 Share this article

The number of Indigenous people dying while in detention in Australia has hit its record point since records began in 1980.

New data show that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in detention in the 12-month period ending in June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an increase from 24 deaths in the prior equivalent period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are grossly overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They make up over 33% of all prisoners, even though comprising less than four per cent of the country's people.

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

Breakdown of the Recent 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 increase from 18 in the previous year.

One death was in a juvenile facility, and the vast majority of the deceased were men.

The other six deaths took place in police custody, defined as when someone dies while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The primary cause of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-harm," with "natural causes." The report noted that hanging was the cause in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Breakdown

The state of New South Wales had the highest number of Aboriginal deaths in prison custody 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 this state is a "profoundly distressing tragedy," the state's chief medical examiner has stated.

In a recent statement, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths required "independent and careful examination, dignity and accountability."

Demographic Information and Expert Response

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

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

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several official inquiries with grieving families, said little has improved since the 1991 national inquiry that aimed to address this issue.

"It's infuriating to see the number of inquests I attend, the number funerals families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades past the inquiry, and the problem is getting progressively worse," she noted.

From the time of the royal commission, a total of 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in detention, which encompasses six in youth detention, according to the findings.