🔗 Share this article Aboriginal Deaths in Detention in Australia Climb to Record Number Since 1980 Indigenous prisoners represent more than a third of Australia's total prison inmates. The count of First Nations people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has reached its peak point since official data started in 1980. New data indicate that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in custody in the year leading up to June were Indigenous. This represents an rise from 24 deaths in the prior equivalent period. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain grossly represented in the justice system. They make up more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, despite representing under 4% of the country's population. These disturbing figures come to light more than three decades after a seminal inquiry into First Nations deaths in custody, which made hundreds of recommendations. Detailed Analysis of the Recent Statistics Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, 26 took place while in prison custody, which is an increase from 18 in the previous year. A single death occurred in a juvenile facility, and all except one of the deceased were men. The other six fatalities took place in police custody, defined as a situation where someone dies while police are detaining them. The primary cause of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," with "natural causes." The data found that hanging was the cause in eight of the cases. Geographic Distribution The state of New South Wales recorded 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 growing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "deeply distressing tragedy," the state's coroner has said. In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful scrutiny, dignity and responsibility." Demographic Information and Academic Reaction The average age of those who died was 45, and eleven of the individuals were still waiting for a sentence. A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the figures as reflecting a "national emergency" that requires "decisive action and political action." Ms. Porter, who has been present at several coronial inquests with grieving families, said little has changed since the 1991 royal commission that was established to tackle this issue. "It's heartbreaking to see the quantity of investigations I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years past the royal commission, and the problem is getting increasingly worse," she commented. Since the royal commission, a approximately 600 First Nations people have died in custody, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, as per the findings.