The number of First Nations people dying while in detention in Australia has reached its highest point since records started in 1980.
Recently released figures reveal that 33 of the 113 people who died in detention in the year leading up to June have been identified as Indigenous. This represents an uptick from 24 fatalities in the prior equivalent period.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain severely represented in the criminal justice system. They constitute over 33% of all prisoners, even though representing less than four per cent of the country's people.
These sobering figures come to light more than three decades after a pivotal inquiry into First Nations deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of recommendations.
Breakdown of the Recent Statistics
Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, 26 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 the vast majority of the individuals were male.
The remaining six fatalities happened in the custody of law enforcement, defined as a situation where someone passes away while police are detaining them.
The main reason of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-harm," followed by "natural causes." The data found that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the deaths.
State-by-State Breakdown
The state of New South Wales had the highest number of Indigenous deaths in correctional facilities with nine, then Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory all recorded three deaths.
The increasing number of First Nations deaths in custody in this state is a "deeply distressing reality," the state's coroner recently said.
In October, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this upward trend was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful scrutiny, dignity and responsibility."
Profile Details and Expert Response
The average age of those who died was 45 years, and eleven of the individuals were still waiting for a sentence.
A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as representing a "national emergency" that requires "leadership and political action."
Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple coronial inquests with grieving families, stated little has improved since the 1991 royal commission that was established to address this crisis.
"It's infuriating to witness the quantity of investigations I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years past the inquiry, and the situation is getting progressively more severe," she noted.
From the time of the royal commission, a total of 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in custody, which encompasses six in youth detention, according to the findings.
