National disgrace

Since 1991 - 30 years ago - more than 450 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have died in custody. Why is 1991 important? Because that is when the Royal Commission into Deaths in Custody made 339 recommendations to governments, to ensure that there were no more deaths in police custody and in prisons. 339 recommendations, that to this day have still not been implemented.

You would think that removing hanging-points from prison cells is a pretty straight-forward thing to do. It is just one of the recommendations of the Royal Commission that hasn’t been actioned.

Each of the more than 450 deaths in custody were preventable. It’s simple: the recommendations need to be implemented. Some of those key recommendations like tackling the root causes of imprisonment, and diverting people away from prisons are yet to be actioned. What’s even worse, is that no-one has ever been convicted or held accountable for these deaths.

The community has been fighting for action for years and years. Families, even through their suffering, continue to campaign for justice.