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The number of Indigenous people dying while in detention in Australia has climbed to its highest point since records began in 1980.

Fresh data reveal that 33 of the 113 people who died in custody in the year ending in June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an uptick from 24 fatalities in the preceding equivalent period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are grossly represented in the justice system. They make up over 33% of all prisoners, even though representing less than four per cent of the country's population.

These sobering numbers come to light over three decades after a landmark royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Latest Figures

Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody recorded 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 was in a juvenile facility, and the vast majority of the deceased were male.

The other six deaths took place in police custody, defined as when someone dies while police are detaining them.

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

State-by-State Breakdown

The state of New South Wales had the greatest 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 First Nations deaths in custody in this state is a "profoundly distressing reality," the state's coroner has remarked.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this upward trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths required "independent and careful examination, dignity and responsibility."

Demographic Information and Academic Response

The mean age of those who died was 45 years, and eleven of the deceased were awaiting a sentence.

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

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several official inquiries with grieving families, stated little has changed since the 1991's royal commission that was established to tackle this crisis.

"It's infuriating to see the quantity of investigations I attend, the number funerals families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years past the inquiry, and the problem is getting progressively more severe," she commented.

Since the royal commission, a total of 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in detention, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, according to the findings.