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The tally of First Nations people losing their lives while in custody in Australia has climbed to its peak point since official data began in 1980.

New figures reveal that 33 of the 113 people who died in custody in the year ending in June have been identified as Indigenous. This represents an uptick from 24 deaths in the previous equivalent period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain severely overrepresented in the justice system. They constitute over 33% of all prisoners, even though representing less than four per cent of the country's people.

These disturbing numbers emerge more than three decades after a landmark royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which put forward hundreds of proposed changes.

Detailed Analysis of the Latest Statistics

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

One death was in youth detention, and all except one of the deceased were men.

The remaining six deaths happened in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone dies while police are detaining them.

The main cause of First Nations deaths was categorised as "self-inflicted," with "illness." The data found that asphyxiation was the method in eight of the cases.

Geographic Distribution

The Australian state of New South Wales had 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 rising number of First Nations deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "deeply distressing tragedy," the state's chief medical examiner has stated.

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

Profile Information and Expert Reaction

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

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as representing a "national emergency" that requires "decisive action and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple official inquiries with bereaved families, said very little has improved since the 1991 national inquiry that was established to address this crisis.

"It's heartbreaking to witness the quantity of investigations I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are three decades past the inquiry, and the situation is getting progressively more severe," she noted.

From the time of the royal commission, a approximately 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in detention, which includes six in youth detention, as per the report.