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The tally of First Nations people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has reached its highest point since official data started in 1980.

Fresh data indicate that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in detention in the 12-month period ending in June have been identified as 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, despite representing under 4% of the country's population.

These sobering figures emerge more than three decades after a pivotal royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward numerous of recommendations.

Detailed Analysis of the Recent Figures

Of the 33 Indigenous 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 previous year.

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

The remaining six deaths happened in police custody, defined as a situation where someone dies while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The main cause of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-harm," with "illness." The data found that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Distribution

The state of New South Wales had the highest number of Indigenous deaths in correctional facilities with nine, then 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 New South Wales is a "profoundly distressing tragedy," the state's coroner recently said.

In October, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this rising pattern was not "just statistics" and that these deaths required "independent and careful examination, respect and responsibility."

Demographic Details and Expert Reaction

The mean age of those who died was 45, and eleven of the deceased were still waiting for a court sentencing.

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as representing a "country-wide emergency" that requires "leadership and government action."

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

"It's infuriating to see the number of investigations I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years after the inquiry, and the problem is getting increasingly worse," she noted.

From the time of the royal commission, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in custody, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, as per the report.