Aboriginal Fatalities in Custody in Australia Hit Highest Number Since 1980

The count of Indigenous people dying while in custody in Australia has reached its record point since official data began in 1980.

Recently released statistics reveal 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 uptick from 24 deaths in the previous corresponding period.

Indigenous Australian people remain grossly overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They make up over 33% of all prisoners, despite representing less than four per cent of the national population.

These sobering statistics emerge over three decades after a landmark royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds 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 prison custody, which is an increase from 18 in the prior year.

A single death was in a juvenile facility, and all except one of the individuals were men.

The remaining six fatalities took place in police custody, defined as when someone passes away while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The main cause of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-harm," with "illness." The report noted that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Distribution

The state of New South Wales had the greatest number of Indigenous deaths in prison custody with nine, followed by 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 New South Wales is a "deeply distressing milestone," the state's coroner has remarked.

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

Profile Details and Expert Reaction

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

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the data as reflecting a "country-wide emergency" that needs "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple coronial inquests with grieving families, stated little has changed since the 1991's national inquiry that aimed to tackle this issue.

"It's heartbreaking to see the quantity of investigations 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 increasingly more severe," she noted.

From the time of the royal commission, a total of 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in detention, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, according to the report.