Today the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) has released its Deaths in Custody in Australia 2023-24 report. From 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, there were 104 deaths in custody, 6 less than in 2022-23. There were 24 First Nations people (23%) who died in custody.
During the reporting period, there were 76 deaths in prison custody and one death in youth detention. Eighteen First Nations people (24%) died in prison custody during the year. There were 27 deaths in police custody, of which 5 (19%) were First Nations people.
AIC Deputy Director Dr Rick Brown emphasised the importance of timely and in-depth data to reduce deaths in custody and improve justice outcomes.
“Accurate and policy-relevant research such as this is vital to inform early intervention and prevention strategies, particularly in an effort to reduce the over-incarceration of First Nations people,” Dr Brown said.
The AIC’s ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Deaths in Custody Program has monitored the extent and nature of deaths occurring in prison, police custody and youth detention in Australia since 1980, following a recommendation made by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
The real-time reporting dashboard provides up‑to-date information on all deaths occurring in police and prison custody as well as in youth detention at a national level. However, this annual report provides a more extensive analysis of the issue.
The full report is available on the AIC website .
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