🔗 Share this article

The number of Indigenous people dying while in custody in Australia has hit its record point since official data started in 1980.

New figures indicate that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in custody in the year ending in June have been identified as Indigenous. This represents an uptick from 24 deaths in the preceding corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are disproportionately overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They make up more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, despite comprising less than four per cent of the national people.

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

Breakdown of the Recent Statistics

Of the 33 Indigenous 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 prior year.

One death occurred in a juvenile facility, and all except one of the individuals were men.

The remaining six deaths happened in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone passes away while police are detaining them.

The primary reason of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," followed by "illness." The report noted that hanging was the cause in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Breakdown

The Australian state of New South Wales had the greatest number of Indigenous deaths in correctional facilities with nine, then Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory all recorded three deaths.

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

In a recent statement, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this rising trend was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "independent and careful scrutiny, respect and responsibility."

Profile Information and Expert Response

The mean 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, characterised the figures as reflecting a "national crisis" that needs "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended several coronial inquests with bereaved families, stated little has improved since the 1991 national inquiry that aimed to tackle this crisis.

"It's heartbreaking to see the number of inquests I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades after the inquiry, and the situation is getting progressively worse," she noted.

From the time of the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have died in custody, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, according to the findings.