Australia records highest number of First Nations deaths in custody
In 2025, Australia experienced the highest number of First Nations deaths in custody on record in a year since records began. The NSW state coroner described it as “a profoundly distressing milestone” as the state recorded its highest number on record as well.
“This is a crisis and a preventable tragedy,” Aboriginal Legal Service CEO and Palawa lawyer Karly Warner said in a statement responding to the NSW announcement.
“Every one of these people had a name, a story, a family. They were loved and their families and communities will carry the scars of their loss.”
Here’s the history of Australia recording Indigenous deaths in custody.
