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The number of Indigenous people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has climbed to its highest point since the beginning of official data started in 1980.

New data show that 33 of the 113 people who died in custody in the year leading up to June have been identified as Indigenous. This marks an uptick from 24 deaths in the previous equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people are severely represented in the criminal justice system. They constitute over 33% of all prisoners, despite comprising less than four per cent of the country's population.

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

Breakdown of the Latest Figures

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

One death occurred in a juvenile facility, and the vast majority of the individuals were male.

The other six deaths took place in police custody, defined as a situation where someone dies while police are detaining them.

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

State-by-State Breakdown

The state of New South Wales recorded 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 increasing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "deeply distressing reality," the state's chief medical examiner has stated.

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

Demographic Information and Expert Reaction

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

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the data as reflecting a "country-wide crisis" that needs "leadership and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple official inquiries with grieving families, stated little has improved since the 1991 royal commission that aimed to address this crisis.

"It's infuriating to witness the number of investigations I attend, the many memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are 30 years past the royal commission, and the problem is getting increasingly worse," she noted.

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