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The tally of First Nations people dying while in detention in Australia has reached its highest point since the beginning of records began in 1980.

Fresh figures show that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in detention in the year ending in June have been identified as Indigenous. This represents an rise from 24 deaths in the prior equivalent period.

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

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

Breakdown of the Recent Figures

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, 26 occurred while in a correctional facility, which is an rise from 18 in the prior year.

One death occurred in a juvenile facility, and the vast majority of the individuals were men.

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

The primary cause of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-harm," followed by "natural causes." The report noted that hanging was the cause in eight of the deaths.

State-by-State Distribution

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

The growing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in this state is a "profoundly distressing reality," the state's chief medical examiner has said.

In October, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this upward trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful examination, dignity and responsibility."

Demographic Details and Academic Response

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

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the data as representing a "country-wide crisis" that requires "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple official inquiries with bereaved families, said little has improved since the 1991's national inquiry that was established to address this issue.

"It's heartbreaking to see the quantity of inquests I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years past the inquiry, and the problem is getting increasingly worse," she commented.

From the time of the royal commission, a total of 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in detention, which encompasses six in youth detention, as per the report.