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The number of Indigenous people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has reached its highest point since the beginning of records began in 1980.

New figures show that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in detention in the 12-month period leading up to June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an uptick from 24 deaths in the previous equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people are disproportionately overrepresented in the justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all prisoners, despite comprising less than four per cent of the national people.

These concerning figures come to light over three decades after a seminal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made numerous of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Recent Figures

Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, twenty-six occurred while in prison custody, which is an rise from 18 in the previous year.

A single death was in youth detention, and all except one of the individuals were male.

The remaining six fatalities took place in the custody of law enforcement, defined as a situation where someone dies while police are detaining them.

The leading reason of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-harm," followed by "natural causes." The data noted 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 Aboriginal deaths in correctional facilities with nine, followed by 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 milestone," the state's chief medical examiner recently said.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this rising trend was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths required "independent and careful examination, dignity and responsibility."

Demographic Details and Expert Response

The mean age of those who died was 45 years, and 11 of the deceased were awaiting a sentence.

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, described the figures as reflecting a "country-wide emergency" that requires "decisive action and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple coronial inquests with bereaved families, stated very little has improved since the 1991 national inquiry that aimed to tackle this crisis.

"It's heartbreaking to witness the number of investigations I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades past the royal commission, and the problem is getting increasingly more severe," she noted.

From the time of the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have died in detention, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, as per the report.