Aboriginal deaths in custody or during a police operation last year doubled NSW’s previous record

Exclusive: Angry calls for action after 16 Indigenous deaths broke previous state record set in 1997

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The number of Aboriginal Australians who died in custody or as a result of a police operation in New South Wales in 2021 doubled the previous high set 25 years ago, prompting furious calls for reform to the state's justice system.

Amid rising incarceration rates and a series of legislative changes making it harder for alleged offenders to be released on bail, data provided by the state's coroner's court revealed 16 Aboriginal people died while caught up with the justice system last year.

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