Indigenous deaths in custody rises to 516 since the 1991 royal commission, report says

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 3% of the population but comprise 32% of the average daily prisoner population, according to an annual report. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Australia recorded 106 deaths in custody between July 2021 and June 2022, with the number of Indigenous people who died in custody rising to 516 in the 31 years since the royal commission.

According to the Australian Institute of Criminology’s annual report on deaths in custody, released on Monday, the death rate of prisoners increased from 0.15 per 100 prisoners in 2020-21 to 0.21 in 2021-22.