Indigenous Fatalities in Custody in Australia Climb to Record Level Since 1980

The number of First Nations people dying while in custody in Australia has reached its peak point since the beginning of records began in 1980.

Recently released statistics reveal that 33 of the 113 people who died in custody in the 12-month period ending in June were Indigenous. This marks an increase from 24 fatalities in the previous corresponding period.

Indigenous Australian people are severely overrepresented in the justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all prisoners, despite comprising under 4% of the country's people.

These sobering figures emerge more than three decades after a seminal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made numerous of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Latest Statistics

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, twenty-six took place while in prison custody, which is an rise from 18 in the previous year.

One death was in youth detention, and all except one of the deceased were men.

The other six deaths took place in the custody of law enforcement, 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 "natural causes." The report found that hanging was the cause in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Breakdown

The Australian state of New South Wales had the highest number of Aboriginal deaths in prison custody with nine, then Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory each had three deaths.

The increasing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "deeply distressing reality," the state's coroner recently stated.

In October, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this rising trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths demanded "independent and careful examination, dignity and responsibility."

Profile Information and Expert Reaction

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

A university expert, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as reflecting a "country-wide emergency" that requires "leadership and government action."

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

"It's heartbreaking to witness the quantity of inquests I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years after the royal commission, and the problem is getting progressively more severe," she commented.

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