A record number of First Nations people died in NSW prison custody last year. Advocates fear this year will be worse
News Source
β’Sun, 02 Aug 2026 15:00:24 GMT
π° What Happened
First Nations advocates are warning that New South Wales prisons could exceed last year's record number of Indigenous deaths in custody, after two men died in July alone. Matthew Roberts, a 27-year-old Bundjalung, Yaegl and Gamilaroi man and father of two, took his own life at Lithgow Correctional Centre on 7 July after being remanded in custody since March. Another 21-year-old First Nations man died a week later at Clarence Correctional Centre. Roberts' mother Karlene Whitton said she keeps 'picturing it every night' and revealed he had expressed suicidal intent during their last phone call.
π The Backstory
Indigenous deaths in custody have been a persistent and deeply painful issue in Australia, with the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody making 339 recommendations that advocates say have never been fully implemented. The over-representation of Indigenous Australians in the prison system remains a national crisis, with Indigenous people comprising a disproportionate percentage of the prison population relative to their share of the general population.
π― Why It Matters
These deaths risk further eroding trust between Indigenous communities and the criminal justice system. Advocates are likely to renew calls for immediate implementation of the remaining Royal Commission recommendations, including alternatives to incarceration for Indigenous people, improved mental health support in prison, and greater community-led justice approaches.
First Nations advocates are warning that New South Wales prisons could exceed last year's record number of Indigenous deaths in custody, after two men died in July alone. Matthew Roberts, a 27-year-old Bundjalung, Yaegl and Gamilaroi man and father of two, took his own life at Lithgow Correctional Centre on 7 July after being remanded in custody since March. Another 21-year-old First Nations man died a week later at Clarence Correctional Centre. Roberts' mother Karlene Whitton said she keeps 'picturing it every night' and revealed he had expressed suicidal intent during their last phone call.
Indigenous deaths in custody have been a persistent and deeply painful issue in Australia, with the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody making 339 recommendations that advocates say have never been fully implemented. The over-representation of Indigenous Australians in the prison system remains a national crisis, with Indigenous people comprising a disproportionate percentage of the prison population relative to their share of the general population.
These deaths risk further eroding trust between Indigenous communities and the criminal justice system. Advocates are likely to renew calls for immediate implementation of the remaining Royal Commission recommendations, including alternatives to incarceration for Indigenous people, improved mental health support in prison, and greater community-led justice approaches.