š Share this article Indigenous Deaths in Custody in the Nation Hit Record Number Since the Start of 1980 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners represent more than a third of Australia's incarcerated population. The number of First Nations people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has climbed to its record point since the beginning of official data started in 1980. New data reveal that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in detention in the year leading up to June were Indigenous. This represents an uptick from 24 fatalities in the previous corresponding period. Indigenous Australian people remain severely overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, even though comprising less than four per cent of the national population. These disturbing statistics emerge over three decades after a landmark inquiry into First Nations deaths in custody, which made hundreds of recommendations. Breakdown of the Latest Statistics Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody logged 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 all except one of the individuals were men. The other six fatalities took place in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone passes away while police are holding or attempting to detain them. The main cause of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-harm," with "illness." The report found that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the cases. State-by-State Distribution The state of New South Wales recorded the greatest number of Indigenous deaths in prison custody with nine, then Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory each had three deaths. The growing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in this state is a "profoundly distressing milestone," the state's chief medical examiner has stated. In a recent statement, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this upward pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths required "thorough and careful examination, dignity and responsibility." Demographic Details and Expert Reaction The average age of those who died was 45 years, and eleven of the deceased were still waiting for a sentence. A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the figures as reflecting a "country-wide crisis" that requires "leadership and political action." Ms. Porter, who has been present at several official inquiries with grieving families, said little has changed since the 1991's national inquiry that was established to address this issue. "It's infuriating to witness the quantity of investigations I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades after the inquiry, and the situation is getting progressively more severe," she noted. From the time of the landmark inquiry, a total of 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in detention, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, according to the report.