Indigenous Fatalities in Detention in Australia Reach Highest Number Since the Start of 1980

The tally of Indigenous people dying while in detention in Australia has climbed to its highest point since the beginning of records began in 1980.

Recently released data show that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in detention in the 12-month period ending in June have been identified as Indigenous. This marks an uptick from 24 fatalities in the previous corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are disproportionately overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They make up over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, even though representing less than four per cent of the country's people.

These sobering figures emerge over three decades after a seminal royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward numerous of recommendations.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Statistics

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

A single death was in a juvenile facility, and all except one of the deceased were men.

The remaining six fatalities took place in police custody, defined as a situation where someone dies while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The primary reason of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-harm," with "natural causes." The report found that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Breakdown

The state of New South Wales had the greatest number of Aboriginal deaths in correctional facilities with nine, followed by Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory all recorded three deaths.

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

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

Profile Information and Expert Response

The average age of those who died was 45, 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 crisis" that needs "leadership and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple coronial inquests with bereaved families, stated little has changed since the 1991 royal commission that aimed to address this issue.

"It's infuriating to see the quantity of inquests I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades past the royal commission, and the situation is getting increasingly more severe," she noted.

Since the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have died in custody, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, according to the report.