Aboriginal man dies in custody at Melbourne prison

An Aboriginal man has died in custody at a Melbourne prison.

The man, aged in his 30s, died at Port Phillip Prison on Wednesday hours after returning to the maximum security facility from St Vincent’s Hospital, where he was treated after an earlier incident in his cell.

Victoria’s Port Phillip PrisonCredit:Craig Abraham

Concerns have since been raised about possible delays in reaching the man to provide medical assistance before he died at the prison at Truganina.

Those with knowledge of the death said the man was due to be released from custody in coming weeks.

A spokesperson from the Department of Justice and Community Safety confirmed the inmate’s death.

“It is with great sorrow that Corrections Victoria acknowledges the passing of a prisoner at Port Phillip Prison. As with all deaths in custody, the matter has been referred to the coroner, who will formally determine the cause of death,” they said.

News of the man’s death comes less than three months after an inquest was held into the death of Aboriginal woman Veronica Nelson at the women’s prison in nearby Ravenhall.

During the inquest, the coroner was told more than 500 First Nations people had died in custody since the findings from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody were handed down in 1991.

A friend of the dead man described him as a strong warrior. “We will catch up in the dreamtime brother,” he wrote.

Another wrote: “The skies are pouring, the winds are crying, our hearts are broken and filled with sorrow once more. Thinking of the mob today. Rest in the dreaming my brother.”

The coroner is still considering evidence from a five-week inquest earlier this year into Nelson’s death in January 2020. During the inquest it was revealed the 37-year-old had unsuccessfully applied for bail on her own, without legal representation, before being held in custody at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre on allegations of shoplifting.

During the inquest serious concerns were raised about the experiences of some Aboriginal people inside the state’s prison system.

The number of First Nations people in Victorian prisons has tripled in the past 10 years.

In 2020, the Coroners Court of Victoria overhauled the way it investigates Aboriginal deaths in custody.

Coroners must now hold directions hearings into mandatory investigations within 28 days of an Aboriginal death in custody being recorded.

For 24/7 crisis support run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).

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