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The number of Indigenous people dying while in custody in Australia has hit its record point since the beginning of official data started in 1980.

New statistics reveal that 33 of the 113 people who died 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 fatalities in the prior corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are severely represented in the justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all prisoners, despite comprising less than four per cent of the country's population.

These concerning numbers come to light more than three decades after a landmark royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made hundreds of proposed changes.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Figures

Of the 33 Aboriginal 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 previous year.

One death was in youth detention, 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 primary reason of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-harm," with "illness." The report found that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Breakdown

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

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

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this rising pattern was not "just statistics" and that these deaths required "thorough and careful scrutiny, respect and responsibility."

Profile Details and Academic Reaction

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

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, characterised the figures as representing a "country-wide crisis" that needs "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple official inquiries with bereaved families, stated very little has improved since the 1991's national inquiry that was established to tackle this crisis.

"It's infuriating to witness the quantity of inquests I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades after the royal commission, and the problem is getting increasingly worse," she noted.

From the time of the landmark inquiry, a total of 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in detention, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, according to the report.