First Nations woman dies in Sydney prison

A 44-year-old woman was has died in Sydney's Silverwater Women's prison, the second Indigenous death in custody in the city in three days.

The perimeter fence at Silverwater jail in Sydney's west

The perimeter fence of Silverwater Prison in Sydney. Source: AAP

An investigation is underway into the death of a First Nations woman at a Sydney prison last week.

Corrective Services New South Wales confirmed the death in a statement to NITV News.

"A 44-year-old woman died at Silverwater Women’s Correctional Centre on 5 March 2021," it read.

 She was found unresponsive in her cell about 12.45pm and pronounced dead at 1.30pm."

Corrective Services NSW and NSW Police are investigating the incident, with the death to be subjected to a coronial inquest.

It's the second death in custody in a Sydney prison in three days.

On Tuesday March 2nd, a 35-year-old man died at Long Bay Prison Hospital, after being found unresponsive in a cell.

The cause of the man’s death is unknown, but it is believed he had a pre-existing medical condition. 

There have been almost 500 Aboriginal deaths in custody since 1991, when the landmark Royal Commission into the epidemic tabled its final report.

The New South Wales Coroner is set to hand down its findings from an inquest into the 2018 death of Anaiwan man Nathan Reynolds on Thursday.

He died after suffering a severe asthma attack in a minimum security wing at the John Moroney Correctional Centre in western Sydney in August that year.

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2 min read
Published 9 March 2021 12:18pm
By Jodan Perry
Source: NITV News


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