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The count of First Nations people dying while in custody in Australia has hit its highest point since records began in 1980.

New data indicate that 33 of the 113 people who died in detention in the 12-month period ending in June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an increase from 24 fatalities in the previous equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people are disproportionately overrepresented in the criminal justice system. They make up more than one-third of all prisoners, even though representing less than four per cent of the country's people.

These concerning figures emerge more than three decades after a seminal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made numerous of proposed changes.

Detailed Analysis of the Recent Figures

Of the 33 Aboriginal 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.

A single death was 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 holding or attempting to detain them.

The main reason of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," with "natural causes." The data noted that hanging was the method in eight of the deaths.

State-by-State Breakdown

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

In a recent statement, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this upward trend was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful examination, dignity and responsibility."

Demographic Information and Academic Response

The average age of those who died was 45, and 11 of the deceased were awaiting a court sentencing.

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, described the data as reflecting a "country-wide emergency" that requires "leadership and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several coronial inquests with grieving families, stated very little has improved since the 1991 royal commission that was established to address this issue.

"It's infuriating to witness the quantity of inquests I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years past the inquiry, and the situation is getting progressively worse," she noted.

Since the landmark inquiry, a total of 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in detention, which encompasses six in youth detention, as per the report.