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

Fresh figures indicate that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in detention in the 12-month period ending in June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an rise from 24 fatalities in the previous corresponding period.

Indigenous Australian people are disproportionately overrepresented in the justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all incarcerated individuals, even though representing less than four per cent of the national people.

These disturbing statistics come to light more than three decades after a pivotal inquiry into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made numerous of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Latest Statistics

Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody logged between last July and this June, 26 occurred while in prison custody, which is an rise from 18 in the previous year.

A single death occurred in youth detention, and the vast majority of the individuals were male.

The remaining six deaths happened in police custody, defined as when someone passes away while police are detaining them.

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

Geographic Distribution

The Australian state of New South Wales had 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 rising number of Indigenous deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "deeply distressing reality," the state's chief medical examiner recently stated.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this upward trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful examination, dignity and accountability."

Demographic Details and Academic Response

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

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

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

"It's maddening to witness the number of inquests I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years after the royal commission, and the problem is getting increasingly more severe," 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 youth detention, as per the report.