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The number of Indigenous people dying while in custody in Australia has climbed to its peak point since official data started in 1980.

Fresh statistics reveal that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in detention in the year leading up to June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an uptick from 24 deaths in the prior corresponding period.

Indigenous Australian people remain disproportionately overrepresented in the justice system. They make up over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, even though representing under 4% of the country's people.

These concerning figures emerge more than three decades after a seminal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Latest Figures

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, 26 occurred while in prison custody, which is an rise from 18 in the previous year.

One death was in a juvenile facility, and all except one of the individuals were men.

The remaining six fatalities took place in police custody, defined as when someone passes away while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The leading reason of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," followed by "illness." The report found that hanging was the method in eight of the cases.

Geographic Breakdown

The state of New South Wales had the highest number of Indigenous 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 increasing number of First Nations deaths in custody in this state is a "profoundly distressing milestone," the state's coroner recently said.

In October, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths required "thorough and careful examination, dignity and responsibility."

Profile Details and Expert Response

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

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

Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple coronial inquests with bereaved families, said little has improved since the 1991's royal commission that was established to tackle this crisis.

"It's maddening to witness the quantity of investigations I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades past the royal commission, and the situation is getting progressively more severe," she noted.

Since the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have died in custody, which encompasses six in youth detention, as per the findings.