1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2012  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/05/2012   
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Crime and justice

DEATHS IN CUSTODY

In 1991, the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody investigated the deaths of 99 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that occurred in police or prison custody between January 1980 and May 1989. One of the outcomes was the establishment of a National Deaths in Custody Monitoring and Research Program at the Australian Institute of Criminology.

During 2008, 86 people died in all forms of custody in Australia, an increase of 12 deaths from 2007 (table 13.31). Of the 2008 total, 13 (15%) were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The largest number of deaths in custody recorded since 1990 was in 1997 (105), while the largest number of deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was in 1995 (22).


13.31 DEATHS IN CUSTODY
Police
Prison
Total
Total(a)
Aboriginal
and Torres
Strait Islander
Non-Indigenous
Aboriginal
and Torres
Strait Islander
Non-Indigenous
Aboriginal
and Torres
Strait Islander
Non-Indigenous
1990
5
26
5
28
10
54
65
1991
5
26
8
31
13
57
70
1992
7
24
2
34
9
58
67
1993
3
30
7
42
10
72
83
1994
3
25
11
42
14
67
82
1995
4
22
18
41
22
63
87
1996
6
23
12
40
18
63
82
1997
6
23
9
67
15
90
105
1998
6
21
10
59
16
80
97
1999
6
21
13
46
19
67
86
2000
5
21
11
51
16
72
90
2001
4
31
14
43
18
74
92
2002
11
26
8
42
19
68
87
2003
8
28
10
30
18
58
76
2004
8
23
7
32
15
55
70
2005
8
16
7
27
15
43
58
2006
6
18
4
27
10
45
56
2007
4
25
5
40
9
65
74
2008
4
28
9
45
13
73
86
(a) Includes deaths that occurred in custody other than police or prison custody (such as juvenile detention).
Source: Australian Institute of Criminology, Deaths in custody in Australia: National Deaths in Custody Program, 2008.

 

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Statistics contained in the Year Book are the most recent available at the time of preparation. In many cases, the ABS website and the websites of other organisations provide access to more recent data. Each Year Book table or graph and the bibliography at the end of each chapter provides hyperlinks to the most up to date data release where available.