Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
In 2025, we are still fighting for our voices to be heard and for action to be taken to improve the lives of Aboriginal people as they continue to be overrepresented in the prison system.
Nobody deserves to die in a prison cell.
Our people are disproportionately impacted by the criminal legal system, with many finding themselves unnecessarily detained due to lack of access to critical supports, discriminatory practices and ongoing system failures.
It has been 34 years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody handed down their final report, along with 339 recommendations – which are yet to be properly implemented across any jurisdiction or state. The tragic number of Aboriginal deaths in custody that have occurred in police or prison custody since this extensive review was delivered three decades ago is a national shame.
Until the current system, which is grounded in violence, racism and the denial of Aboriginal self-determination undergoes radical, structural change – this will continue to be the reality for our people.
While governments continue to turn their back on our communities, we will continue to fight to end Aboriginal deaths in custody. We continue to call for the transfer of decision-making power, authority, control and resources to First Peoples, so we can determine the solutions for our people.
The Aboriginal Justice Caucus have recently launched their project Looking Back, Moving Forward.
A project which sought to see how the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) have been acted on in Victoria. For each of the 339 recommendations, they considered whether it still matters today, what action has (or hasn’t) been taken, whether things have really changed, and whether doing more to implement it could make things better for our communities. You can learn more about this work here.
