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Recommendation 20
This recommendation is assigned to CSNSW.
Recommendation
That the appropriate Aboriginal Legal Service be notified immediately of any Aboriginal death in custody.
Context
The Royal Commission noted that in some cases the identification of the deceased’s family may be difficult and that by notifying the Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS), in addition to the family, if known, it would increase the probability of appropriate family members being promptly notified of the death (at 4.6.13). Recommendation 20 is directed at assisting notification of Aboriginal family members of a death in custody as soon as possible.
Status: Implemented
- The Aboriginal Advisory Unit (AAU) immediately notifies the ALS and Aboriginal Affairs that an Aboriginal person has died in custody.
Details of implementation
This immediate notification is reflected in the CSNSW AAU – Aboriginal Death in Custody Policy Section 1.1. The Principal Manager of the AAU notifies the ALS and Aboriginal Affairs NSW that an Aboriginal person has died in custody. Only the sex and declared deceased time are shared until such time as it is confirmed that the NSW Police has advised the NOK of the death.
Evidence
Last updated:
We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Nations Peoples of NSW and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future.
Informed by lessons of the past, Department of Communities and Justice is improving how we work with Aboriginal people and communities. We listen and learn from the knowledge, strength and resilience of Stolen Generations Survivors, Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal communities.
You can access our apology to the Stolen Generations.