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The tally of First Nations people dying while in detention in Australia has reached its peak point since the beginning of records began in 1980.

New statistics reveal that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in custody in the year leading up to June were Indigenous. This represents an rise from 24 fatalities in the previous equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people remain grossly overrepresented in the justice system. They make up over 33% of all prisoners, even though representing less than four per cent of the country's population.

These sobering statistics emerge over three decades after a landmark royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which put forward numerous of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Recent 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 increase from 18 in the prior year.

A single death was in youth detention, and all except one of the individuals were male.

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

The primary cause of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," with "natural causes." The data found that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the cases.

Geographic Distribution

The Australian state of New South Wales recorded the highest number of Indigenous deaths in correctional facilities with nine, followed by 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 coroner recently stated.

In October, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this rising trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful examination, dignity and accountability."

Profile Information and Expert Response

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

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as representing a "country-wide crisis" that requires "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended several coronial inquests with grieving families, stated little has changed since the 1991 royal commission that was established to tackle this crisis.

"It's heartbreaking to witness the number of inquests I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years after the royal commission, and the situation is getting increasingly more severe," she noted.

Since the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 Indigenous people have lost their lives in custody, which encompasses six in youth detention, as per the findings.