🔗 Share this article

The count of First Nations people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has reached its highest point since records started in 1980.

Recently released data reveal that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in custody in the 12-month period leading up to June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an uptick from 24 deaths in the previous equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people remain grossly represented in the justice system. They make up over 33% of all prisoners, despite comprising less than four per cent of the country's population.

These concerning statistics come to light more than three decades after a landmark inquiry into First Nations deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of proposed changes.

Detailed Analysis of the Recent Statistics

Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, twenty-six took place while in prison custody, which is an increase from 18 in the prior year.

A single death occurred in youth detention, and the vast majority of the deceased were male.

The other six deaths took place in police custody, defined as a situation where someone passes away while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The leading cause of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," with "illness." The report found that hanging was the cause in eight of the cases.

Geographic Distribution

The Australian state of New South Wales recorded the greatest 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 rising number of First Nations deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "profoundly distressing reality," the state's coroner has said.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "independent and careful scrutiny, dignity and accountability."

Profile Information and Expert Response

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

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

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple coronial inquests with grieving families, said little has changed since the 1991 royal commission that aimed to tackle this crisis.

"It's maddening to see the quantity of investigations I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years past the inquiry, and the problem is getting increasingly worse," she commented.

From the time of the landmark inquiry, a total of 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in detention, which encompasses six in youth detention, according to the report.