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The count of First Nations people dying while in custody in Australia has hit its highest point since official data began in 1980.

New data show that 33 of the 113 people who passed away in custody in the 12-month period ending in June have been identified as Indigenous. This marks an rise from 24 fatalities in the previous equivalent period.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain grossly overrepresented in the justice system. They make up more than one-third of all prisoners, even though comprising less than four per cent of the country's people.

These disturbing numbers come to light more than three decades after a pivotal royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody, which made numerous of proposed changes.

Detailed Analysis of the Recent Figures

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

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

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

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

State-by-State 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 each had three deaths.

The increasing number of First Nations deaths in custody in New South Wales is a "deeply distressing reality," the state's coroner recently stated.

In October, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan stressed that this upward trend was not "just statistics" and that these deaths demanded "independent and careful examination, respect and responsibility."

Profile Information and Academic Response

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

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as representing a "country-wide crisis" that requires "decisive action and government action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple coronial inquests 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 after the inquiry, and the problem is getting progressively worse," she noted.

Since the royal commission, a approximately 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in detention, which encompasses six in juvenile detention centers, according to the report.