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The number of Indigenous people dying while in detention in Australia has reached its record point since the beginning of official data started in 1980.

Fresh figures indicate that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in custody in the year leading up to June have been identified as Indigenous. This represents an increase from 24 deaths in the prior corresponding period.

Indigenous Australian people remain grossly overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all prisoners, even though comprising under 4% of the national people.

These sobering statistics emerge over three decades after a seminal inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made numerous of proposed changes.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Statistics

Of the 33 Indigenous 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 prior year.

A single death occurred in a juvenile facility, and all except one of the individuals were men.

The remaining six deaths took place in police custody, defined as a situation where someone dies while police are detaining them.

The main cause of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," followed by "natural causes." The report noted that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Distribution

The Australian state of New South Wales recorded the highest number of Aboriginal deaths in prison custody with nine, followed by Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory each had three deaths.

The growing number of First Nations deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "deeply 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 demanded "independent and careful examination, dignity and accountability."

Demographic Information and Expert Response

The average age of those who died was 45, and 11 of the deceased were still waiting for a court sentencing.

A university expert, Amanda Porter, described the figures as reflecting a "country-wide emergency" that needs "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple official inquiries with grieving families, said little has changed since the 1991 national inquiry that aimed to address this crisis.

"It's infuriating to witness the quantity of investigations I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades past the inquiry, and the situation is getting increasingly more severe," she noted.

From the time of the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 First Nations people have died in detention, which encompasses six in youth detention, according to the findings.