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The number of Indigenous people dying while in detention in Australia has climbed to its highest point since official data began in 1980.

Recently released data indicate that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in custody in the year leading up to June were Indigenous. This represents an uptick from 24 fatalities in the prior equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people remain severely represented in the justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, even though comprising under 4% of the national people.

These sobering numbers come to light over three decades after a landmark royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Recent Figures

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, 26 took place 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 male.

The other six deaths happened in police custody, defined as a situation where someone dies while police are holding or attempting to detain 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 Australian state of New South Wales had the greatest number of Aboriginal deaths in correctional facilities with nine, followed by Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory each had three deaths.

The growing number of First Nations deaths in custody in this state is a "deeply distressing tragedy," the state's chief medical examiner recently stated.

In October, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths demanded "independent and careful examination, respect and accountability."

Demographic Information and Expert Response

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

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as representing a "country-wide crisis" that needs "leadership and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several official inquiries with grieving families, stated very little has changed since the 1991's royal commission that was established to address this issue.

"It's maddening to see the quantity of inquests I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades after the royal commission, and the problem is getting increasingly more severe," she noted.

Since the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in custody, which encompasses six in youth detention, as per the findings.