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The tally of Indigenous people dying while in detention in Australia has hit its highest point since records started in 1980.

Recently released statistics indicate that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in custody in the 12-month period leading up to June have been identified as Indigenous. This represents an uptick from 24 deaths in the preceding corresponding 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 people.

These concerning numbers come to light over three decades after a landmark royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which put forward numerous of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Recent 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 rise from 18 in the previous year.

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

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

The main cause of Indigenous deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," with "illness." The report noted that asphyxiation was the cause in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Distribution

The state of New South Wales had the greatest number of Aboriginal deaths in prison custody with nine, followed by Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory all recorded three deaths.

The increasing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in this state is a "deeply distressing tragedy," the state's chief medical examiner recently said.

In October, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this rising pattern was not "just statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful examination, respect 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 court sentencing.

A criminal law associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the figures as representing a "national emergency" that needs "decisive action and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at several coronial inquests with bereaved families, stated very little has changed since the 1991 royal commission that aimed to tackle this crisis.

"It's maddening to witness the quantity of inquests I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the reality that we are three decades after the inquiry, and the problem is getting progressively more severe," she commented.

From the time of the royal commission, a total of 600 First Nations people have died in custody, which encompasses six in youth detention, according to the findings.