First Nations deaths in NSW prisons rise as advocates warn of worsening trend
Two Indigenous men died in New South Wales prisons this month, adding to at least seven First Nations deaths in custody so far in 2026, prompting community leaders to warn the situation could deteriorate.
Matthew Roberts, a 27-year-old Bundjalung, Yaegl and Gamilaroi father, died by suicide at Lithgow correctional centre on 7 July after being remanded since March, and a 21-year-old Indigenous man died at Clarence correctional centre a week later. Their deaths bring the 2026 Indigenous death toll in NSW custody to at least seven, amid a growing prison population where Indigenous people now make up over a third of inmates, the highest proportion recorded.
Corrective Services NSW highlighted the challenges of addressing mental-health needs in prisons and said the cases are under coroner review. The Dhadjowa Foundation is helping Roberts’ family fund his funeral, while the acting chief executive of the NSW and ACT Aboriginal Legal Service warned of a “deaths in custody crisis.” Clarence correctional centre, operated by Serco, expressed condolences but gave no details on the cause of death.
Why it matters
Rising Indigenous deaths in custody raise concerns about prison mental-health care and systemic inequality.
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