🔗 Share this article

The tally of Indigenous people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has reached its highest point since records started in 1980.

Recently released figures reveal that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in custody in the year leading up to June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an uptick from 24 fatalities in the previous corresponding period.

Indigenous Australian people remain severely represented in the criminal justice system. They make up over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, despite representing less than four per cent of the country's people.

These sobering statistics emerge more than three decades after a pivotal royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made hundreds of proposed changes.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Statistics

Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, 26 took place while in a correctional facility, which is an increase from 18 in the prior year.

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

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 reason of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," with "natural causes." The data noted that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the cases.

Geographic Distribution

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

The growing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in this state is a "profoundly distressing milestone," the state's chief medical examiner recently stated.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this upward trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths demanded "independent and careful examination, dignity and accountability."

Profile Details and Expert Reaction

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, described the figures as reflecting a "country-wide emergency" that needs "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended several official inquiries with bereaved families, stated little has improved since the 1991 royal commission that aimed to tackle this issue.

"It's infuriating 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 royal commission, and the problem is getting progressively more severe," she noted.

Since the landmark inquiry, a total of 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in detention, which encompasses six in youth detention, according to the findings.