Number of indigenous deaths in custody Australia 2015-2024
In 2024 a total of 27 indigenous Australians died in custody in Australia. The peak number of aboriginal deaths in custody was in 2022, with 32 indigenous people having died while being in custody. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are still disproportionately represented in the justice system and have poorer health outcomes than their non-Indigenous counterparts. This disparity has been recognized by contemporary Australian governments, with numerous initiatives and reports being commissioned to tackle these issues. However, to this day, there remains a large gap in equality experienced by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Aboriginal incarceration rates
The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody report, which was published in 1991, was commissioned by the Australian Government to study the underlying issues leading to deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in custody. The report referred to the disproportionately high incarceration rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australian prisons and highlighted underlying social issues as well as gaps in health, life expectancy and education outcomes for Indigenous people. Despite the recommendations of the report, the rates of Aboriginal people in custody have since continued to increase and more than 547 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have died in custody since 1991.
Closing the Gap
In an effort to close the gap in disadvantage for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the federal, state and territory Governments made a commitment to work together around the Closing the Gap Framework in 2008. The goal of the framework was to improve key outcomes early childhood, schooling, health, economic participation, healthy homes, safe communities, and governance and leadership. Of the seven targets listed in the framework only the early childhood education enrollment and year 12 attainment targets were considered to be on track.
