Deaths in custody in Australia 2020-21

The National Deaths in Custody Program has monitored the extent and nature of deaths occurring in prison, police custody and youth detention in Australia since 1980. The Australian Institute of Criminology has coordinated the program since its establishment in 1992, the result of a recommendation made the previous year by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. In 2020–21 there were 82 deaths in custody: 66 in prison custody and 16 in police custody or custody-related operations. This report contains detailed information on these deaths and compares the findings with longer term trends.

Decolonise This Space

The 15 th April 2016 marked the 25-year anniversary since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) in Australia handed down its Final Report. The report signified a landmark in the relationships between Indigenous Australians and the post-colonial State and Federal governments. Established by the Hawke Labor Government in 1987, the Commission examined 99 Indigenous deaths. Most significant was the finding that the deaths were due to the combination of police and prisons failing their duty of care, and the high numbers of Indigenous people being arrested and incarcerated. In the wake of the RCIADIC, cross-cultural sessions and cultural competency workshops have become ubiquitous for public servants, therapists, and legal and welfare employees, in attempts to bridge gaps in cultural knowledge between agents of the welfare state and Indigenous clients. Using Indigenous Knowledges theory, this chapter assesses how cultural misalignments between Indigenous clients and those who work with them in the name of therapies designed to improve Indigenous lives, dominate cross-cultural interactions. In so doing the questions are posed: how do good intentions become part of the discourses and practices of on-going colonialism for Indigenous Australians, and what can be done to change the balance of power in favour of therapies of relevance to Indigenous people?

Deaths in custody in Australia 2019-20

The National Deaths in Custody Program has monitored the extent and nature of deaths occurring in prison, police custody and youth detention in Australia since 1980. The Australian Institute of Criminology has coordinated the program since its establishment in 1992, the result of a recommendation made the previous year by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. In 2019-20 there were 113 deaths in custody: 89 in prison custody and 24 in police custody or custody-related operations. This report contains detailed information on these deaths and compares the findings to longer term trends.

A STUDY OF PATTERN OF CUSTODIAL DEATH : A TWO YEAR PROSPECTIVE STUDY.

Death occurring in some form of custodial detention is commonly known as death in custody, such as police cell or prison. A person in custody is entirely dependent on his custodians for his basic requirements hence this type of death raises questions regarding living conditions, inhumane treatment and violation of fundamental rights of prisoners. This prospective analytic study was carried out during period January 2019 to December2020 in Department of Forensic Medicine at PMCH Patna Bihar. This study observed 56 judical custodial deaths that maximum cases were males 93%and 7% were females. Age group above 55 years(40%). Maximum cases were brought in month of September(23%)followed by August (16%). Most prisoners died in hospital during treatment (82%).Deaths among 56 custodial deaths convict prisoners were dominated 41(73.21%) over undertrial prisoners 15 (26.79%) in jail custody.Pulmonary tuberculosis was the most common natural cause of death among prisoners. The natural causes was in 89% cases and unnatural in 11% cases . Majority of deaths in custody are due to natural causes and this may occur due to various factors like improper medical facilities, overcrowding in jail, old age, poor nutritional status, poor hygiene etc.

30th Anniversary of the RCIADIC and the ‘white noise’ of the justice system is loud and clear

It's been 30 years since the tabling of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and for Indigenous people things are worse than they have ever been when dealing with the justice industry.

Dying in the Margins: A Literature Review on End of Life in English Prisons

This paper explores dying in English prisons. Whilst often conflated, death and dying are conceptually different. While there is increased attention given to the investigation of deaths in custody, and the impact of prison deaths on healthcare staff and custodial staff, little attention has been paid to the experience of dying people themselves. Post-death investigations tell us little about dying experiences of the dying. This paper reviewed the literature on dying in English prisons and highlights this clear gap in knowledge. Four types of dying will be discussed in this paper: (1) suicide, (2) dying in older age, (3) deaths post-release, and (4) COVID-19 deaths. The importance of providing good end-of-life care and palliative care in prison is acknowledged in the literature, but this only shows awareness of the needs of a particular part of the prison population. To understand the complexities and nuances of dying in prison, all voices need to be included in research, otherwise what is left post-death of a person who died in prison is a Fatal Incidence Report. More empirical research is needed to illuminate the diversity of prison deaths and the lived reality of those dying behind locked doors.

Deaths in custody in Australia 2018-19

The National Deaths in Custody Program (NDICP) has monitored the extent and nature of deaths occurring in prison, police custody and youth detention in Australia since 1980. The Australian Institute of Criminology has coordinated the NDICP since its establishment in 1992, the result of a recommendation made by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody the previous year. This report contains detailed information on the 113 deaths in custody in 2018–19—89 in prison custody and 24 in police custody or custody-related operations—and compares these findings to longer term trends.

Custodial deaths seen in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Lagos, Nigeria: An 11-year autopsy study

Introduction Deaths in custody are a matter of global concern. However, such information is often missing in developing countries. This study aimed to examine retrospectively the profile, cause and manner of deaths amongst cases of custodial deaths in Lagos State, Nigeria. Method An 11-year study (June 2008–June 2019) was done of all autopsy cases of custodial deaths in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Variables including age, sex, offence, place of death, duration in custody prior to death and cause and manner of death were extracted from the records. Results were analysed using frequencies and percentages. Results Out of 9894 autopsies over the study period, 45 custodial deaths were identified. Males and females constituted 84.4% and 15.6%, respectively (M:F = 5.4:1). Ages ranged from 20 to 64 years, with a mean age of 37 ± 11.0 years. These deaths were most common in the third decade. Armed robbery and financial crime were the two leading reasons for arrest, while most deaths occurred within 24 hours of arrival in custody. The two leading causes of death were acute cardiac failure from hypertensive heart disease and cranio-cerebral injury from blunt-force trauma. Conclusion Deaths in custody need to be properly investigated and particular attention needs to be paid to unlawful deaths if and when they arise.

The dark footprint of state violence: A synthetic approach to the American crime decline

This project combines the conversation on the national crime rate with emerging discussions on the violence that the state perpetrates against civilians. To measure US lethal violence holistically, we reconceptualize the traditional definitional boundaries of violence to erase arbitrary distinctions between state- and civilian-caused crime and violence. Discussions of the “crime decline” focus specifically on civilian crime, positioning civilians as the sole danger to the health, wealth, and safety of individuals. Violence committed by the state—from police homicide to deaths in custody to in-prison sexual assault—is not found in the traditionally reported crime rate. These absences belie real dangers posed to individuals which are historical and contemporary, nonnegligible, and possibly rising. We present Uniform Crime Report data side-by-side with data on police killings, deaths in custody, and executions from sources such as Fatal Encounters, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and the Center for Disease Control to produce a robust discussion of deaths produced through the criminal legal system. We ground this empirical analysis in a broader conceptual framework that situates state violence squarely within the realm of US crime, and explore the implications of this more holistic view of crime for future analyses.