Indigenous Deaths in Custody in Australia Reach Record Level Since the Start of 1980

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

New figures reveal that 33 of the 113 people who died in detention in the 12-month period leading up to June were Indigenous. This represents an uptick from 24 deaths in the preceding equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people remain grossly represented in the criminal justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, despite representing less than four per cent of the national people.

These sobering statistics come to light over three decades after a landmark royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made numerous of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Recent Figures

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

A single death was in youth detention, and all except one of the deceased were male.

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

The leading reason of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-harm," with "natural causes." The report found that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the cases.

Geographic Distribution

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

The growing number of First Nations deaths in custody in this state is a "deeply distressing milestone," the state's coroner recently remarked.

In October, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this upward pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful scrutiny, dignity and accountability."

Demographic Information and Expert Response

The average age of those who died was 45 years, and 11 of the individuals were awaiting a court sentencing.

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as reflecting a "country-wide crisis" that requires "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple coronial inquests with bereaved families, said little has improved since the 1991 royal commission that was established to address this crisis.

"It's heartbreaking to witness the quantity of inquests I attend, the number funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years past the inquiry, and the situation is getting increasingly worse," she noted.

From the time of the royal commission, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in detention, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, as per the findings.