MEDIA RELEASE
Friday 13 February 2025
The risk of Aboriginal deaths in custody in NSW is greater than ever, as new statistics show that Aboriginal people are being imprisoned in record-breaking numbers.
The state’s new record for imprisoning Aboriginal people – who now make up over a third of adults in NSW prisons – follows last year’s record-high number of Aboriginal deaths in custody. Tragically, more deaths have already been confirmed this year.
“It is absolutely shameful that NSW keeps breaking record after record when it comes to Aboriginal people forced into prison and dying in custody,” said Nadine Miles, Principal Legal Officer at the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited.
“We know when you force greater numbers of people into prison, you increase the risk of deaths in custody. When you force young children into contact with police and courts, you increase the likelihood they will go on to reoffend and become trapped in cycles of imprisonment as adults. The NSW Government knows this too, but continues to pursue a tough-on-crime agenda instead of investing in solutions that actually work,” Ms Miles said.
The record number and rate of Aboriginal people in prison is being driven by an all-time high rate of remand, with nearly half of all adults currently in custody yet to have their day in court. Aboriginal people are refused bail at a disproportionate rate.
“Mass incarceration is causing the legal system to buckle. We are seeing increasing delays between our clients being arrested by police and being brought before a court. People have been spending more time in police and court cells due to a shortage of beds in prisons,” Ms Miles said.
“Aboriginal communities have the solutions required for closing the gap: investing in communities to address unmet needs, strengthening services delivered by Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations that prevent crime in the first place, and creating therapeutic pathways for children at risk of entering the legal system. If the Government is serious about community safety, it needs to stop doubling down on failed policy and start listening to the evidence.”
