First Nations Deaths in Detention in Australia Climb to Highest Number Since 1980

The count of Indigenous people dying while in detention in Australia has reached its record point since records started in 1980.

New data reveal that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in detention in the 12-month period leading up to June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an rise from 24 fatalities in the preceding equivalent period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. They make up more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, despite representing less than four per cent of the national people.

These disturbing figures emerge over three decades after a landmark royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made hundreds of proposed changes.

Detailed Analysis of the Recent Statistics

Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, twenty-six occurred while in prison custody, which is an rise from 18 in the prior year.

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

The remaining six deaths happened in police custody, defined as a situation where someone passes away while police are detaining them.

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

Geographic Distribution

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

The growing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in this state is a "deeply distressing reality," the state's coroner has stated.

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

Demographic Information and Academic Response

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

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the figures as reflecting a "country-wide crisis" that requires "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended several official inquiries with grieving families, said very little has improved since the 1991 royal commission that aimed to address this crisis.

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

Since the royal commission, a approximately 600 First Nations people have died in detention, which encompasses six in youth detention, according to the report.