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The count of First Nations people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has hit its peak point since official data started in 1980.

Recently released figures indicate that 33 of the 113 people who died in custody in the year leading up to June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This marks an increase from 24 fatalities in the previous corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain grossly represented in the justice system. They make up more than one-third of all prisoners, despite representing under 4% of the national people.

These disturbing figures come to light more than three decades after a landmark inquiry into First Nations deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of proposed changes.

Breakdown of the Latest Statistics

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

A single death occurred in a juvenile facility, and all except one of the deceased were men.

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

The leading cause of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-inflicted," with "natural causes." The report found that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Distribution

The Australian state of New South Wales recorded the greatest number of Indigenous deaths in correctional facilities with nine, then 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 "profoundly distressing reality," the state's chief medical examiner has said.

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

Demographic Information and Academic Response

The mean age of those who died was 45, and eleven of the individuals were still waiting for a court sentencing.

A criminal law expert, Amanda Porter, described the data as reflecting a "national crisis" that needs "decisive action and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple official inquiries with grieving families, said little has improved since the 1991 royal commission that was established to tackle this issue.

"It's infuriating to witness the quantity of inquests I attend, the number funerals families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades after the inquiry, and the situation is getting increasingly worse," she commented.

From the time of the landmark inquiry, a approximately 600 First Nations people have died in custody, which includes six in juvenile detention centers, according to the findings.