The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has witnessed an unusually high number of deaths in prison custody, according to recent findings. A total of 90 individuals lost their lives while incarcerated during this timeframe, with 26 of these being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people.

Despite making up only about four percent of Australia’s population, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals constitute a disproportionately large percentage of the prison population, accounting for more than a third of those incarcerated.

In the last three years, there has been a noticeable increase in the proportion of Indigenous deaths in custody, although the overall death rate among Indigenous prisoners has remained relatively stable, noted Bricknell.

Among the 26 recorded deaths, the causes were identified for 19 cases. These were evenly split between natural causes and self-inflicted incidents, as reported by Bricknell.

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Cause of death was available for 19 of the 26 deaths in prison custody, with an equal number due to natural causes and self-inflicted, Bricknell said.

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