This report analyses deaths occurring in custodial settings, such as prison and juvenile detention, as well as police custody and related operations, for the period 1980 to 2008.

It does not consider deaths in detention centres under immigration legislation. Since it was established to monitor issues relevant to Indigenous people in custody as explained below; the question of the future scope of the monitoring program will be considered in a planned review of this program.

Monitoring of deaths in custody began in 1992 following recommendations by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCADIC), which was, in turn, a response to hangings and other deaths of Indigenous persons in custody in the 1980s. The purpose of monitoring deaths in custody is to provide accurate, regular information that will contribute to policy and programs that aim to reduce deaths in custody and to increase public understanding of the issues.

The importance of this monitoring was again emphasised with the endorsement by the Australian and state and territory governments of the National Indigenous Law and Justice Framework to tackle serious Indigenous law and justice issues.