Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in the Nation Reach Record Level Since the Start of 1980
The number of Indigenous people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has reached its highest point since the beginning of official data started in 1980.
New data show that 33 of the 113 people who died in custody in the 12-month period ending in June were Indigenous. This marks an rise from 24 deaths in the prior equivalent period.
Indigenous Australian people are grossly represented in the criminal justice system. They make up more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, even though comprising less than four per cent of the national population.
These sobering figures come to light more than three decades after a seminal inquiry into First Nations deaths in custody, which made numerous of recommendations.
Breakdown of the Recent Figures
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 previous year.
A single death was in a juvenile facility, and the vast majority of the individuals were male.
The other six fatalities took place in police custody, defined as when someone dies while police are holding or attempting to detain them.
The main cause of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," with "natural causes." The report found that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the cases.
State-by-State Breakdown
The Australian state of New South Wales had the greatest number of Indigenous deaths in prison custody with nine, then 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 reality," the state's chief medical examiner has stated.
In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this rising trend was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths required "thorough and careful examination, respect and responsibility."
Demographic Details and Expert Reaction
The mean age of those who died was 45 years, and eleven of the deceased were still waiting for a sentence.
A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, described the figures as representing a "country-wide emergency" that needs "decisive action and government action."
Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple coronial inquests with grieving families, stated little has improved since the 1991's national inquiry that was established to address this crisis.
"It's heartbreaking to see the number of investigations I attend, the number funerals families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years after the inquiry, and the problem is getting increasingly more severe," she commented.
From the time of the royal commission, a total of 600 First Nations people have died in detention, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, according to the findings.
