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The count of First Nations people dying while in custody in Australia has climbed to its record point since records started in 1980.

Fresh figures show that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in custody in the year leading up to June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an increase from 24 deaths in the prior corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain severely overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They make up more than one-third of all prisoners, even though comprising under 4% of the country's population.

These sobering figures emerge over three decades after a pivotal royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Latest Figures

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

A single death occurred in a juvenile facility, and all except one of the deceased were male.

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

The main cause of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-harm," with "illness." The data noted that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the cases.

Geographic Breakdown

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

The increasing 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, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "independent and careful scrutiny, dignity and accountability."

Demographic Information and Academic Reaction

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

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the figures as reflecting a "national emergency" that needs "leadership and political action."

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

"It's maddening to witness the quantity of investigations I attend, the many funerals families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades after the inquiry, and the problem is getting increasingly worse," she noted.

Since the royal commission, a total of 600 First Nations people have died in custody, which includes six in youth detention, as per the report.