The ACT government has offered sympathy and reassurance after the death of an Aboriginal man, the second death in custody at Canberra's jail in the past five weeks.
The 34-year-old inmate was found "unconcious" in his cell at Alexander Maconochie Centre and declared dead on August 29.
The incident added to 13 Indigenous deaths in custody this year depicted on the Australian Institute of Criminology real-time dashboard.
His death comes after another inmate, 35, also died in the prison on July 31.
An ACT Policing spokesperson said they were investigating the causes and circumstances of the men's deaths and would provide reports for both coronial inquests.
The ACT took the death of inmates "very seriously" and was committed to ensuring their safety and wellbeing, a government spokesperson said
"The ACT government is deeply saddened to hear of [Thursday's] passing of a 34-year-old man at the Alexander Maconochie Centre," he said.
"We extend our sincerest condolences to the man's family and friends, as well as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander [communities]."
The spokesperson said they would fully cooperate with coroner's investigation and would "carefully consider" findings and recommendations made from the inquiries.
"As the matter is subject to ongoing investigation, it would not be appropriate to comment further," he said.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Men's Referral Service 1300 776 491; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732
Inmates and staff
The prison recognised Thursday's death affected detainees, employees and AMC's front-line workers who responded to the incident, a spokesperson said.
"ACT Corrective Services is providing comprehensive support to AMC staff during this difficult time," he said.
Welfare teams visited prison staff on August 29, August 30 and were scheduled to visit on September 2 to provide counselling, he said.
Staff were also able to get support from the Employee Assistance Program and speak to colleagues in peer-support roles.
Aboriginal liaison officers were asked to attend all living areas and the cultural services area on August 30 to support to inmates, he added.
"Drop-in support sessions were conducted for [affected inmates]," the spokesperson said.
He said people in custody could also get help from the supports and interventions unit and health staff at AMC, while Lifeline was available on the detainee common call list.
"ACTCS acknowledges this is a difficult time for detainees and will continue to provide support to detainees over the coming weeks," the spokesperson said.
'Unacceptable'
The ACT continues to incarcerate First Nations people, especially men, at one of the highest rates in the country.
The crude imprisonment rate (per 100,000) in Canberra was 3273 for Indigenous people and 177 non-Indigenous people, Productivity Commission data showed.
This rate for Indigenous people had consistently increased since 2019, while declining for non-Indigenous people.
Additionally, due to growth in prisoner numbers, the AMC's transport unit could not meet demand after 2018-2019. Since then, medical transports have been done by ACT Corrective Services staff, the Productivity Commission reported.
The Justice and Community Safety Directorate's government website has five vacancies advertised for temporary and full-time work. These include two correctional officers for the transport unit.
After the 34-year-old inmate's death on Thursday, Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal health services chief executive Julie Tongs called for a royal commission into the ACT prison.
"There's lots of things that aren't right, right across the whole system here in the ACT that keep getting covered up, and until we rip the scab off, we're not going to change anything," she said.
She also demanded the government release the independent review into the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the ACT criminal justice system.
The review evaluated the government's progress in implementing the 35 recommendations from the Australian Law Reform Commission's 2017 report - Pathways to Justice.
A government spokesperson said the first report from the independent review would be released in coming weeks. He added the second report would be delivered in the next term of government.
"The findings and recommendations in these reports will provide further guidance on how we can improve outcomes and reduce the unacceptable rate of Indigenous incarceration," he said.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed: Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Men's Referral Service 1300 776 491; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732.
