First Nations Fatalities in Custody in Australia Hit Highest Number Since 1980

The number of Indigenous people dying while in custody in Australia has hit its highest point since records started in 1980.

Recently released figures indicate that 33 of the 113 people who died in detention in the year ending in June were Indigenous. This represents an increase from 24 deaths in the previous equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people are disproportionately represented in the justice system. They make up over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, even though comprising less than four per cent of the country's people.

These disturbing figures come to light more than three decades after a seminal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made hundreds of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Recent Statistics

Of the 33 Indigenous 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 previous year.

A single death was in youth detention, and the vast majority of the deceased were men.

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

The leading cause of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-harm," followed by "illness." The data noted that hanging was the method 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 all recorded three deaths.

The rising number of First Nations deaths in custody in this state is a "profoundly distressing tragedy," the state's chief medical examiner has remarked.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this upward trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths required "independent and careful examination, dignity and responsibility."

Demographic Information and Expert Response

The mean age of those who died was 45 years, and 11 of the individuals were still waiting for a sentence.

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the figures as representing a "national emergency" that needs "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple official inquiries with grieving families, stated very little has improved since the 1991's national inquiry that was established to address this crisis.

"It's heartbreaking to see the number of investigations I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades past the royal commission, and the problem is getting progressively worse," she noted.

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