Aboriginal Fatalities in Custody in Australia Reach Record Level Since 1980

The number of Indigenous people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has climbed to its record point since the beginning of records began in 1980.

Recently released data indicate that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in detention in the 12-month period ending in June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an uptick from 24 deaths in the previous equivalent period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain severely overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, despite comprising under 4% of the country's population.

These sobering figures come to light more than three decades after a seminal inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward 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 occurred while in prison custody, which is an increase from 18 in the previous year.

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

The other six fatalities took place in police custody, defined as a situation where someone dies while police are detaining them.

The main cause of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," followed by "illness." The data noted that hanging was the method in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Breakdown

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 "deeply distressing tragedy," the state's coroner recently said.

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

Demographic Information and Academic Reaction

The average age of those who died was 45 years, and 11 of the deceased were awaiting a sentence.

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, characterised the figures as representing a "country-wide crisis" that needs "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended several coronial inquests with bereaved families, said very little has changed since the 1991 royal commission that was established to tackle this issue.

"It's maddening to see the number of inquests I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades after the inquiry, and the problem is getting progressively more severe," she noted.

Since the royal commission, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have died in detention, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, as per the findings.