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The tally of Indigenous people dying while in custody in Australia has climbed to its highest point since the beginning of records began in 1980.

New figures reveal that 33 of the 113 people who died in detention in the 12-month period leading up to June have been identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an uptick from 24 fatalities in the preceding corresponding period.

Indigenous Australian people remain severely overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They make up more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, even though representing less than four per cent of the national people.

These concerning statistics come to light over three decades after a seminal inquiry into First Nations 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, twenty-six took place while in a correctional facility, which is an rise 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 police custody, defined as a situation where someone passes away while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The primary cause of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," followed by "natural causes." The data noted that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Breakdown

The state of New South Wales recorded the greatest number of Aboriginal deaths in prison custody with nine, then Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory all recorded three deaths.

The increasing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in this state is a "deeply distressing milestone," the state's chief medical examiner recently said.

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

Demographic Information and Expert Response

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

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, characterised the figures as reflecting a "national emergency" that needs "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended several 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 investigations I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades past the inquiry, and the problem is getting progressively more severe," she noted.

Since the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 First Nations people have died in custody, which includes six in youth detention, according to the report.