🔗 Share this article

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

New data show that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in detention in the year ending in June were Indigenous. This marks an uptick from 24 deaths in the preceding equivalent period.

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

These disturbing figures come to light over three decades after a landmark inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward numerous of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Latest Figures

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

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

The other six deaths happened in the custody of law enforcement, defined as a situation where someone passes away while police are detaining them.

The primary cause of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," with "illness." The data found that hanging was the method in eight of the deaths.

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 milestone," the state's chief medical examiner recently said.

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

Demographic Details and Academic Reaction

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

A university expert, Amanda Porter, characterised the figures as representing a "country-wide emergency" that requires "decisive action and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple official inquiries with grieving families, stated little has improved since the 1991 national inquiry that was established to tackle this crisis.

"It's maddening to see the number of inquests I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades past the inquiry, and the situation is getting increasingly more severe," she commented.

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