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The number of Indigenous people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has climbed to its highest point since the beginning of official data started in 1980.

Recently released statistics show that 33 of the 113 people who died in custody in the 12-month period ending in June have been identified as Indigenous. This represents an increase from 24 fatalities in the previous equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people are grossly represented in the criminal justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all prisoners, despite comprising under 4% of the country's population.

These disturbing statistics emerge over three decades after a landmark inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Recent Figures

Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, 26 took place while in a correctional facility, which is an rise from 18 in the previous year.

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

The other six fatalities happened in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone dies while police are detaining them.

The main cause of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," 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 greatest 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 rising number of First Nations deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "profoundly distressing reality," the state's chief medical examiner has stated.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this upward pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "independent 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 still waiting for a court sentencing.

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the figures as reflecting a "national emergency" that requires "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several coronial inquests with grieving families, said little has improved since the 1991 national inquiry that aimed to address this crisis.

"It's maddening to see the number of inquests I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years past the royal commission, and the problem is getting progressively worse," she noted.

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