The report began in 1992 following recommendation 41 of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC), which examined 99 Black deaths in custody in a report tabled to parliament in April 1991. Of the total of 106 recorded deaths in custody, there were 24 Indigenous deaths, 81 non-Indigenous deaths in custody and one death of a person whose Indigenous status was unknown. Other key findings from this year’s report include:• Of the total 24 Indigenous deaths in custody, eight recorded deaths were in police custody and a further 16 deaths in prison custody• The largest number was in New South Wales (five deaths in custody), followed by Queensland (four deaths in custody), Western Australia (three deaths in custody), South Australia (two deaths in custody) and one each recorded in the Northern Territory and Victoria• There were 516 official recorded Indigenous deaths in custody since the RCIADIC• Of the 516 recorded Indigenous people who died in custody since 1991, 335 were in prison, 177 were in police custody and four were in youth detention. The AIC monitoring reports remain among the most regularly cited and authoritative ‘go-to’ sources on Australian deaths in custody for Australian journalists, advocates, academics and policymakers alike. Banner: Protesters marking 30 years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody handed down its final report/Getty Images

Source: The Guardian April 12, 2023 18:55 UTC