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A 29-year-old Aboriginal man has died in prison in WA

The man was found unresponsive in his cell at Casuarina Prison in Perth, Western Australia, on the morning of Thursday 4 June.

PERTH STOCK
Casuarina Prison is a maximum-security facility for adult male prisoners in Perth, Western Australia. Source: AAP Image/Aaron Bunch Credit: AARON BUNCH /AAPIMAGE

A 29-year-old Aboriginal man has died in custody in Western Australia's Casuarina prison.

A statement by Western Australia's Department of Justice said the man was found unresponsive in his cell on Thursday morning.

Staff administered first aid until St John Ambulance officers arrived at the facility to continue medical intervention.

The man was declared deceased at the scene by paramedics.

Preliminary reports indicate there were no suspicious circumstances in relation to the man's death.

As is mandatory for deaths in custody, WA Police will prepare a report for the State Coroner and his death will be subject to a coronial inquest.

According to data by the Australian Institute of Criminology, there have been 61 deaths in custody since 1 January 2026.

Those include deaths occurring in prison custody, police custody or youth detention.

16 of those people were Indigenous.

There have been over 630 Indigenous deaths in custody since the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.


1 min read

Published

By Emma Kellaway

Source: NITV



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