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The count of First Nations people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has hit its highest point since records began in 1980.

New statistics reveal that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away 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 deaths in the preceding corresponding period.

Indigenous Australian people remain severely overrepresented in the justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, despite comprising less than four per cent of the national people.

These disturbing numbers emerge more than three decades after a seminal inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward numerous of recommendations.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Statistics

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

One death was in youth detention, and the vast majority of the individuals were men.

The remaining six deaths took place in the custody of law enforcement, defined as a situation where someone dies while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The main cause of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," with "illness." The data noted that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the deaths.

State-by-State Distribution

The Australian state of New South Wales recorded the highest 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 increasing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in this state is a "deeply distressing tragedy," the state's chief medical examiner has stated.

In October, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this upward pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths required "thorough and careful scrutiny, respect and accountability."

Profile Details and Academic Response

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

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the figures as reflecting a "national emergency" that needs "leadership and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple coronial inquests with grieving families, stated little has changed since the 1991 national inquiry that was established to address this crisis.

"It's heartbreaking to witness the quantity of inquests I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades past the royal commission, and the problem is getting progressively more severe," she noted.

From the time of the royal commission, a total of 600 Indigenous people have died in custody, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, according to the report.