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

Fresh figures show that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in custody in the 12-month period leading up to June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an increase from 24 deaths in the prior corresponding period.

Indigenous Australian people remain severely represented in the criminal justice system. They constitute over 33% of all prisoners, even though comprising under 4% of the country's population.

These disturbing figures emerge more than three decades after a seminal royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made numerous of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Recent Figures

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, twenty-six occurred while in prison custody, which is an increase 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 passes away while police are detaining them.

The leading reason of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," followed by "natural causes." The data 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 Indigenous deaths in prison custody 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 "deeply distressing tragedy," the state's chief medical examiner has said.

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

Demographic Information and Expert Response

The mean age of those who died was 45 years, and 11 of the deceased were awaiting a court sentencing.

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the data as reflecting a "country-wide crisis" that requires "decisive action 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 tackle this crisis.

"It's infuriating to see the number of inquests I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades after the royal commission, and the problem is getting increasingly worse," she commented.

Since the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in detention, which includes six in youth detention, as per the findings.