🔗 Share this article Indigenous Deaths in Detention in Australia Hit Highest Level Since 1980 Indigenous detainees account for over 30% of Australia's total prison inmates. The number of Indigenous people dying while in custody in Australia has reached its peak point since official data began in 1980. Fresh data show that 33 of the 113 people who died in detention in the year leading up to June were Indigenous. This represents an increase from 24 fatalities in the preceding equivalent period. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain severely overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all prisoners, even though comprising under 4% of the country's people. These disturbing numbers emerge over three decades after a seminal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which put forward numerous of recommendations. Breakdown of the Latest Statistics Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, 26 took place while in a correctional facility, which is an rise from 18 in the prior year. A single death was in youth detention, and all except one of the deceased were men. The other six deaths took place in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone passes away while police are holding or attempting to detain them. The leading cause of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," followed by "illness." The data found that hanging was the method in eight of the cases. State-by-State Breakdown The Australian state of New South Wales recorded the greatest number of Indigenous deaths in correctional facilities with nine, followed by Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory each had three deaths. The increasing number of First Nations deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "profoundly distressing tragedy," the state's coroner has said. In October, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths required "independent and careful examination, respect and responsibility." Demographic Information and Expert Reaction The average age of those who died was 45, and eleven of the individuals were awaiting a sentence. A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the figures as reflecting a "country-wide emergency" that requires "decisive action and political action." Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple official inquiries with grieving families, said little has improved since the 1991's national inquiry that aimed to address this issue. "It's infuriating to see the quantity of inquests I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years after the inquiry, and the situation is getting increasingly more severe," she commented. Since the landmark inquiry, a total of 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in custody, which encompasses six in youth detention, as per the findings.