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The count of Indigenous people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has hit its record point since records started in 1980.

Recently released data reveal that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in custody in the year ending in June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an uptick from 24 fatalities in the prior equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people remain severely represented in the justice system. They constitute over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, despite comprising less than four per cent of the national population.

These sobering statistics 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 Latest Statistics

Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, 26 occurred while in a correctional facility, which is an increase from 18 in the previous year.

One death was in a juvenile facility, and the vast majority of the deceased were men.

The other six fatalities happened in police custody, defined as a situation where someone passes away while police are detaining them.

The primary cause of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-harm," with "natural causes." The data noted that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the cases.

Geographic Distribution

The Australian state of New South Wales had the highest number of Aboriginal deaths in correctional facilities with nine, then Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory all recorded three deaths.

The rising number of Indigenous deaths in custody in this state is a "deeply distressing tragedy," the state's coroner recently stated.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this upward pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful scrutiny, dignity and responsibility."

Profile Information and Academic Reaction

The average age of those who died was 45 years, and 11 of the individuals were still waiting for a sentence.

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as representing a "country-wide crisis" that needs "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple official inquiries with grieving families, said little has changed since the 1991's royal commission that was established to tackle this issue.

"It's heartbreaking to witness the quantity of inquests I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades past the inquiry, and the situation is getting progressively more severe," she noted.

From the time of the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 First Nations people have died in custody, which encompasses six in youth detention, as per the report.