The tally of First Nations people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has climbed to its record point since official data began in 1980.
Fresh statistics reveal that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in custody in the 12-month period ending in June have been identified as Indigenous. This marks an rise from 24 deaths in the previous equivalent period.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are grossly overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They constitute over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, despite comprising less than four per cent of the country's people.
These sobering numbers come to light more than three decades after a pivotal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made hundreds of recommendations.
Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, twenty-six occurred while in prison custody, 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 men.
The remaining six fatalities happened in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone passes away while police are holding or attempting to detain them.
The main reason of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," with "illness." The data found that hanging was the cause in eight of the deaths.
The state of New South Wales recorded the highest number of Indigenous deaths in prison custody with nine, followed by 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 has stated.
In a recent statement, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful scrutiny, respect and responsibility."
The average age of those who died was 45, and 11 of the deceased were still waiting for a court sentencing.
A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as representing a "national crisis" that needs "leadership and political action."
Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple coronial inquests with bereaved families, said little has changed since the 1991 national inquiry that was established to address this issue.
"It's heartbreaking to witness the quantity of inquests I attend, the number funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades after the inquiry, and the situation is getting increasingly worse," she noted.
From the time of the royal commission, a approximately 600 First Nations people have died in detention, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, according to the findings.
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