🔗 Share this article

The tally of Indigenous people dying while in detention in Australia has climbed to its highest point since the beginning of records started in 1980.

New data indicate that 33 of the 113 people who died in detention in the 12-month period ending in June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an rise from 24 fatalities in the previous corresponding period.

Indigenous Australian people remain grossly represented in the justice system. They make up more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, even though comprising under 4% of the country's population.

These disturbing figures come to light over three decades after a pivotal royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made numerous of proposed changes.

Detailed Analysis of the Recent Figures

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.

A single death occurred in a juvenile facility, and the vast majority of the deceased were male.

The other six fatalities took place in police custody, defined as when someone passes away while police are detaining them.

The main cause of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," with "natural causes." The report noted that hanging was the cause in eight of the cases.

Geographic Distribution

The Australian state of New South Wales recorded 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 all recorded three deaths.

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

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

Demographic Details and Academic Reaction

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

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the data as representing a "national emergency" that needs "decisive action and government action."

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

"It's infuriating to witness the number of inquests I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years past the royal commission, and the problem is getting increasingly worse," she noted.

From the time of the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 First Nations people have died in detention, which encompasses six in youth detention, according to the findings.