First Nations advocates are warning that prisons in New South Wales could exceed the record number of Indigenous deaths in custody set last year, after two men died this month. Matthew Roberts, a 27-year-old Bundjalung, Yaegl and Gamilaroi man and father of two young boys, took his life inside Lithgow correctional centre on 7 July after being remanded in custody in March. Another First Nations man, 21, died a week later at Clarence correctional centre.
Family's grief and plea for answers
Roberts' mother, Karlene Whitton, expressed her shock and grief, saying, "I'm in shock, I keep picturing it every night." Whitton revealed that Roberts had been on suicide watch during a previous period he spent in prison some years ago. On the night he died, he told her over the phone that he wanted to end his life. "He hung up and said 'I love you, Mum', and I started crying and thinking 'oh, please don't!'", she said.
When asked about preventive measures taken to support Roberts, a spokesperson for Corrective Services NSW said: "The intersection between mental health and the justice system is complex. Many individuals enter custody with significant and longstanding needs. Corrective Services NSW works with Justice Health to deliver mental health care to people in custody, with a strong focus on safety for those in our care, our staff and the broader community." The spokesperson added, "Given this matter is being investigated and will be considered by the coroner, we can't provide further comment at this stage."
Support from Dhadjowa Foundation
The Roberts family are being supported by the Dhadjowa Foundation, which is helping them fundraise for his funeral. The foundation was started by April Day, whose mother, Tanya, a Yorta Yorta woman, died in custody in Victoria in 2017. Day said, "Right now, our focus has been supporting the family to lay Matthew to rest and helping them navigate a system that no grieving family should have to face alone. No family should have to fundraise to bury their loved one, especially when they have died in the care of the state."
Whitton described her son as "a real joy". "He was always happy, he loved his babies, he loved his niece, he loved all of his three nephews," she said. "He played football, he was into sports, I've got trophies of his, he played rugby union. He had a lot of friends."
'Shameful' record and rising numbers
Clarence correctional centre, which is privately run by British multinational Serco, issued a statement extending its sympathies to the family of the man who died there on 15 July, and to "the wider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community", but has not released information about his cause of death. On Monday, an 18-year-old woman died at Dame Phyllis Frost centre in Victoria.
At least seven First Nations people have died in custody so far in 2026 amid a record number of people in prison, despite crime rates largely remaining stable over the past two years. Twelve First Nations people died in NSW prisons in 2025, a new record for the state. Of the 39 total deaths in Corrective Services custody, almost one in four were described as self-harm.
The prison population, which is correlated to the number of deaths in custody, grew more in the four months to March 2026 than in the previous four years, according to Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (Bocsar) data released in May. Some 41% of those who entered prison during this period were First Nations people, and more than one-third of the prison population at the time of the Bocsar report in March were Indigenous, the highest proportion on record.
Advocates' fears and crisis support
Sharif Deen, the acting chief executive of the NSW and ACT Aboriginal Legal Service, said the state was in the middle of "a deaths in custody crisis" and she worried it may exceed the "shameful" record set last year. "This tragedy is being fuelled by an unprecedented increase in the number of Aboriginal adults being forced into prisons and police cells," she said. "We are terrified about the consequences for our clients."
Indigenous Australians can call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for information and crisis support; or call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
