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The count of First Nations people dying while in custody in Australia has hit its peak point since records began in 1980.

New data show that 33 of the 113 people who died in detention in the 12-month period ending in June have been identified as Indigenous. This marks an uptick from 24 deaths in the previous equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people remain severely overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They make up over 33% of all incarcerated individuals, even though comprising under 4% of the national people.

These sobering statistics emerge over three decades after a landmark royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Latest Figures

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

One death occurred in a juvenile facility, and all except one of the individuals were men.

The other six deaths happened in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone dies while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The leading reason of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-harm," with "illness." The data found that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the cases.

Geographic Breakdown

The Australian state of New South Wales had the highest number of Indigenous deaths in prison custody with nine, followed by Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory all recorded three deaths.

The increasing number of First Nations deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "deeply distressing reality," the state's chief medical examiner recently stated.

In October, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this upward pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "independent and careful examination, respect and responsibility."

Profile Details and Academic Reaction

The average age of those who died was 45 years, and 11 of the deceased were still waiting for a sentence.

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the figures as representing a "national emergency" that requires "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several coronial inquests with bereaved families, stated very little has changed since the 1991 national inquiry that aimed to tackle this issue.

"It's heartbreaking to witness the number of inquests I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years after the inquiry, and the problem is getting increasingly more severe," she commented.

Since the royal commission, a approximately 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in detention, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, as per the report.