Aboriginal people die in Australian custody due to systemic issues like over-policing, racism, and neglect, leading to overrepresentation in the justice system, poor healthcare in prisons, inadequate responses to medical needs (like asthma or self-harm), and failures in duty of care, despite recommendations from a 1991 Royal Commission not being fully implemented, resulting in continued deaths from preventable causes like illness and suicide.
Aboriginal deaths in custody in NSW a tragic and preventable consequence of over-incarceration. The Justice Reform Initiative says the record number of Aboriginal deaths in custody in New South Wales this year is a devastating reminder of the harms of incarceration and the failure of punitive criminal justice policies.
The death rate for indigenous people was 5.65 per 100,000 of the general Aboriginal population. The rate for non-Aboriginal people was 0.3. The ratio of these rates indicates that Aboriginal people were 16.5 times more likely to die in custody.
Nearly 87 percent of those in state custody and 89 percent of those in federal custody who died in custody from 2001 to 2019 died of illness (BJS, 2021d). Mental health issues are also common in correctional facilities.
In 2024–25, there were 113 deaths in custody: 90 in prison custody, 22 in police custody or custody-related operations and one in youth detention. In total, there were 33 Indigenous deaths and 80 non-Indigenous deaths in custody.
Aboriginal people constitute just 3% of the NSW adult population and 8% of the NSW population aged 10-17 years but comprise more than 30% of the adult prison population and 50% of the youth detention population.
Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) was the leading specific cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in NSW, Qld, WA, SA and the NT in 2023 [26].
Globally, Ischaemic Heart Disease (Coronary Artery Disease) remains the world's biggest killer, but regionally, Dementia (including Alzheimer's) has recently become the leading cause of death in countries like Australia, surpassing heart disease for females and overall, while heart disease leads for males. Other top causes globally include stroke, respiratory infections, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The initial stages of your entry to prison will be tough, but it's important to listen and follow any orders given to you. Non-compliance will only make things harder. Most people say the first day is one of the most difficult, but you'll soon adjust into a routine that will make things easier.
The leading cause of death in jails, particularly in the U.S., is suicide, often occurring within the first days or weeks of incarceration, followed by illnesses (like heart disease) and accidental drug intoxication. While suicide is the top single cause, deaths from chronic diseases and overdoses also represent significant portions, with suicides being disproportionately high compared to the general population.
The evidence suggests that most of the increase is due to increased severity by the criminal justice system in its treatment of Indigenous offenders. One quarter of the increase has come from remandees and three quarters from sentenced prisoners.
One of the words added is kumanjayi, a substitute name for a person who has died.
One of the key findings of the Royal Commission was that Aboriginal deaths in custody occur at such a high rate primarily because so many Aboriginal people are arrested and imprisoned. This problem also has not been addressed.
Aboriginal people are over-represented in the child protection system for a variety of reasons. As a result of the policies, practices and actions of previous government agencies, there is often mistrust of welfare and other government agencies in Aboriginal communities.
Australia's top three causes of death consistently include Dementia (including Alzheimer's disease), Ischaemic Heart Disease, and Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases (like COPD), though their exact ranking can shift, with dementia often leading for women and heart disease for men, but the overall gap narrowing significantly, according to recent ABS data.
Suicide is the leading cause of death among First Nations youth in Canada1. To promote life and reduce rates of self harm, Saskatchewan needs a holistic, community-minded approach to improving wellness in First Nations communities – and we all have a role to play4.
Under Prison Rule 43 staff can lawfully confiscate an item that is unauthorised as part of a cell search. If an unauthorised item is found, this must be properly recorded on the Incident Reporting System (IRS) and an intelligence report (IR) will be completed.
According to many sleep experts, including Dr. Michael Breus, you should avoid caffeine after 2 p.m. and stop eating or exercising several hours before bedtime. Many prisoners agreed, adding it's also important to exercise and eat right daily.
LET YOUR SPOUSE KNOW THEY ARE YOUR TOP PRIORITY
Pray for them every day. If your spouse is incarcerated, write your spouse letters. Visit your spouse in prison if you can. Be open with your children about where your spouse is and why, but also on why you haven't given up on them yet.
The leading cause is cardiovascular disease at 31.59% of all deaths.
It basically is an app where you feed in all your health information, personal information, social information — any fact about you — and it promises to tell you your death date." Ethicist Art Caplan discusses the potential accuracy of a death clock app and the need for related health counseling.
In 2023, the life expectancy at birth was 78.4 in the United States, a 0.9 year increase from 2022. Although American life expectancy has been on a general increase, from 73.7 in 1980 to 78.4 in 2023.
Dementia is one of the most feared conditions among Australian health service consumers, second only to cancer.
The standard three-part test for Aboriginality in Australia requires a person to meet three criteria: descent (biological ancestry), self-identification (identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander), and community acceptance (being recognized as such by their Indigenous community). This definition, adopted by the Commonwealth government, is used for many government programs and services, although the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) uses a simpler two-part test (descent and self-identification) for general data collection.
Suicide is the biggest killer of people under the age of 35 and the biggest killer of men under the age of 50.