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The number of Indigenous people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has reached its record point since official data started in 1980.

New data show that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in detention in the year leading up to June were Indigenous. This represents an increase from 24 fatalities in the preceding corresponding period.

Indigenous Australian people remain disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. They constitute over 33% of all prisoners, even though comprising less than four per cent of the national population.

These disturbing statistics come to light over three decades after a pivotal inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made numerous of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Recent Statistics

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

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

The other six deaths happened in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone dies while police are detaining them.

The main cause of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," followed by "illness." The data found that hanging was the method in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Distribution

The state of New South Wales had the highest number of Aboriginal deaths in correctional facilities with nine, then Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory each had three deaths.

The rising number of Indigenous deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "deeply distressing tragedy," the state's chief medical examiner recently stated.

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

Profile Details and Academic Response

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

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

Ms. Porter, who has attended several coronial inquests with bereaved families, stated very little has changed since the 1991's national inquiry that aimed to address this crisis.

"It's infuriating to witness the number of investigations I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades past the royal commission, and the situation is getting increasingly worse," she noted.

From the time of the royal commission, a total of 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in detention, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, according to the report.