Australian Institute of Criminology

The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) is Australia's national research agency dedicated to crime and criminal justice issues. It conducts and disseminates research to inform policy and practice in these areas. The AIC is newsworthy due to the recent release of its annual report on deaths in custody, specifically highlighting a concerning increase in Indigenous deaths. The latest data, covering the 12 months to June, reveals that 33 out of 113 deaths in custody were Indigenous individuals, marking the highest number since records began in 1980. This represents a significant rise from the previous year's 24 deaths. The report's findings underscore the ongoing disproportionate representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in custody and the urgent need for systemic reforms to address this critical issue, making the AIC's data and analysis highly relevant to current national conversations about justice and reconciliation.