🔗 Share this article

The tally of Indigenous people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has reached its peak point since the beginning of official data started in 1980.

Fresh data show that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in detention in the year ending in June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an rise from 24 fatalities in the preceding equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people remain disproportionately overrepresented in the justice system. They constitute over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, despite representing under 4% of the country's people.

These sobering figures emerge over three decades after a seminal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made numerous of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Recent Statistics

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

A single death occurred in youth detention, and all except one of the deceased 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 main reason of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," with "natural causes." The report noted that hanging was the cause in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Breakdown

The Australian state of New South Wales had the highest number of Aboriginal 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 "deeply distressing milestone," the state's coroner recently remarked.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this upward trend was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths required "thorough and careful examination, dignity and responsibility."

Demographic Details and Academic Response

The mean age of those who died was 45, and 11 of the deceased were awaiting a court sentencing.

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, described the data as reflecting a "country-wide emergency" that needs "leadership and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended several coronial inquests with grieving families, stated very little has improved since the 1991 national inquiry that was established to tackle this issue.

"It's heartbreaking to see the quantity of investigations I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years after the inquiry, and the problem is getting increasingly more severe," she commented.

Since the landmark inquiry, a total of 600 Indigenous people have died in custody, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, as per the findings.