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The number of First Nations people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has climbed to its highest point since the beginning of official data began in 1980.

New statistics show that 33 of the 113 individuals 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 rise from 24 deaths in the preceding equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people are disproportionately overrepresented in the justice system. They constitute over 33% of all prisoners, despite comprising under 4% of the national population.

These sobering figures emerge more than three decades after a seminal royal commission 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 prison custody, which is an increase from 18 in the prior year.

One death occurred in youth detention, and all except one of the individuals were men.

The other six fatalities took place in the custody of law enforcement, defined as a situation where someone dies while police are holding or attempting to detain them.

The leading reason of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," with "natural causes." The data found that hanging was the cause in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Distribution

The Australian state of New South Wales had the highest 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 rising number of First Nations deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "deeply distressing tragedy," the state's chief medical examiner has said.

In October, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths required "thorough and careful examination, respect and accountability."

Demographic Details and Academic Reaction

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

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as reflecting a "national emergency" that needs "leadership and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple coronial inquests with grieving families, said little has improved since the 1991 royal commission that aimed to address this crisis.

"It's heartbreaking to witness the quantity of investigations I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades past the royal commission, and the situation is getting progressively worse," she noted.

Since the landmark inquiry, a total of 600 Indigenous people have died in custody, which encompasses six in youth detention, as per the report.