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The number of Indigenous people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has hit its peak point since records started in 1980.

Fresh figures indicate that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in detention in the 12-month period leading up to June have been identified as Indigenous. This marks an increase from 24 deaths in the previous equivalent period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain grossly overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They make up more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, despite representing under 4% of the national people.

These disturbing figures emerge more than three decades after a seminal inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Latest Statistics

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, twenty-six occurred while in a correctional facility, which is an increase from 18 in the previous year.

One death was in youth detention, and all except one of the deceased were male.

The remaining six deaths happened in police custody, defined as when someone dies while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The primary reason of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," followed by "natural causes." The report found that hanging was the cause in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Distribution

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

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

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

Profile Information and Academic Response

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

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as reflecting a "national crisis" that requires "decisive action and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended several coronial inquests with grieving families, said very little has improved since the 1991's national inquiry that aimed to address this issue.

"It's maddening to see the number of investigations I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades after the inquiry, and the problem is getting increasingly more severe," she commented.

Since the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 First Nations people have died in custody, which encompasses six in youth detention, as per the report.