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The count of Indigenous people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has hit its record point since records started in 1980.

Fresh figures show that 33 of the 113 individuals who died in custody in the year leading up to June were Indigenous. This represents an uptick from 24 deaths in the previous corresponding period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all prisoners, despite representing less than four per cent of the country's population.

These sobering figures emerge over three decades after a seminal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made numerous of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Latest Statistics

Of the 33 Indigenous deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, 26 occurred while in a correctional facility, which is an rise from 18 in the previous year.

One death was in a juvenile facility, and all except one of the individuals were male.

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

The leading cause of Indigenous deaths was categorised as "self-harm," followed by "natural causes." The report found that hanging was the cause in eight of the deaths.

Geographic Breakdown

The Australian 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 growing number of Indigenous deaths in custody in this state is a "profoundly distressing reality," the state's chief medical examiner has said.

In a recent statement, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this upward pattern was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths required "independent and careful scrutiny, respect and accountability."

Demographic Details and Academic Response

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

A university expert, Amanda Porter, described the figures as reflecting a "country-wide emergency" that needs "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has attended multiple official inquiries with grieving families, stated very little has changed since the 1991's royal commission that was established to address this issue.

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

From the time of the landmark inquiry, a total of 600 First Nations people have died in custody, which includes six in youth detention, as per the report.