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The count of First Nations people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has climbed to its highest point since the beginning of records started in 1980.

New figures reveal that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in custody in the year ending in June have been identified as Indigenous. This represents an uptick from 24 deaths in the previous equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people are severely represented in the criminal justice system. They make up more than one-third of all prisoners, even though comprising less than four per cent of the national people.

These concerning figures come to light over three decades after a seminal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made hundreds of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Latest Figures

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody logged 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 occurred in a juvenile facility, and all except one of the individuals were men.

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

The leading reason of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-harm," with "illness." The data noted that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Breakdown

The state of New South Wales had the greatest 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 growing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "profoundly distressing tragedy," the state's chief medical examiner has remarked.

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

Demographic Information and Expert Reaction

The average age of those who died was 45 years, and 11 of the individuals were still waiting for a court sentencing.

A university expert, Amanda Porter, described the figures as representing a "country-wide crisis" that requires "leadership and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple coronial inquests with bereaved families, said very little has improved since the 1991's royal commission that was established to tackle this crisis.

"It's heartbreaking to see the quantity of inquests I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades after the royal commission, and the situation is getting progressively more severe," she commented.

Since the royal commission, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have died in detention, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, as per the findings.