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

Fresh figures indicate that 33 of the 113 people who died in detention in the 12-month period leading up to June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an rise from 24 deaths in the preceding equivalent period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain grossly represented in the criminal justice system. They make up more than one-third of all prisoners, despite comprising under 4% of the country's people.

These sobering figures emerge over three decades after a pivotal inquiry into First Nations deaths in custody, which put forward numerous of recommendations.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Statistics

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, twenty-six took place while in a correctional facility, which is an rise from 18 in the previous year.

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

The other six fatalities happened in police custody, defined as when someone dies while police are detaining them.

The main reason of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-harm," followed by "natural causes." The report found that hanging was the method in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Distribution

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 tragedy," the state's coroner recently stated.

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

Demographic Information and Expert Reaction

The average age of those who died was 45 years, and 11 of the individuals were awaiting a court sentencing.

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, characterised the figures as representing a "national crisis" that needs "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple coronial inquests with bereaved families, said little has changed since the 1991 royal commission that was established to address this issue.

"It's infuriating to see the quantity of inquests I attend, the number funerals families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years past the royal commission, and the problem is getting increasingly worse," she noted.

Since the royal commission, a approximately 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in custody, which includes six in youth detention, according to the report.