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

Fresh statistics show that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in detention in the 12-month period ending in June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an increase from 24 fatalities in the preceding equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people remain severely overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They constitute over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, even though comprising less than four per cent of the national people.

These concerning statistics emerge more than three decades after a landmark inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward numerous of proposed changes.

Detailed Analysis of the Recent Statistics

Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, 26 took place while in a correctional facility, which is an increase from 18 in the prior year.

One death was in a juvenile facility, and the vast majority of the deceased were men.

The remaining six deaths took place in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone passes away while police are detaining them.

The leading cause of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-harm," followed by "illness." The report noted that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Breakdown

The state of New South Wales recorded the greatest number of Aboriginal deaths in prison custody 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 milestone," the state's chief medical examiner recently stated.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising trend was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths required "thorough and careful scrutiny, dignity and responsibility."

Demographic Details and Expert Response

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

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

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple coronial inquests with bereaved families, said little has improved since the 1991's royal commission that was established to tackle this crisis.

"It's infuriating to see the quantity of inquests I attend, the number 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 commented.

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