Aboriginal teenager, 19, kills himself behind bars at one of Australia’s toughest jails

An Aboriginal teenager has taken his own life behind bars just weeks after another indigenous man died at the same facility. 

The 19-year-old was found unresponsive in his cell at Acacia Prison, 55km east of Perth, on Saturday.

He was taken by an ambulance to hospital, where he died on Monday.  

The teenager had just recently transferred to the jail and was reportedly struggling with life in prison. 

Protesters are pictured at the Black Lives Matter rally at Langley Park, Perth, on June 13 (pictured) – days after the 40-year-old man’s death

It is believed he was receiving psychological support after it became clear he was finding it hard to adjust. 

Due to a backlog of cases in the State Coroner’s office, it could take up to two years before the circumstances leading up to the teenager’s death are made clear. 

The incident follows the death of a 40-year-old Aboriginal man who died after collapsing at the prison on June 5 . 

The medium-security prison is privately-run by government services contractor Serco Australia.

The company said an investigation will be launched into the death.

‘Staff at Acacia prison have remained in contact with the man’s family through this period and Serco acting prison director Craig Moody has offered his condolences to the family on behalf of all prison staff,’ Serco said in a statement, The West reports.

‘The prisoner’s death will be subject to a coronial inquest, which will examine the circumstances surrounding his death.

‘Serco will also assist a Department of Justice review into the prisoner’s death.’

The medium-security prison (pictured) is privately-run by government services contractor Serco Australia

Police said the death did not appear to be suspicious and investigations are still underway. 

The investigation will be presented to the state coroner and the Department of Justice will also conduct an internal review. 

The man’s death came as thousands of protesters stepped out onto the streets across Australia to join the global Black Lives Matter protests and call for an end to Aboriginal deaths in custody.

Last month, thousands attended rallies in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart on Saturday to show solidarity with the global movement, fuelled by the death of African American George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis policeman. 

In June, an investigation by the Western Australian found a hotline to prevent deaths in custody in WA was receiving more than 500 notifications every week.

The service was rolled out in October last year to provide legal advice and welfare checks to all Indigenous people arrested.

More than 430 Indigenous people have died in Australian prisons since 1991, when the royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody released its report. 

The commission was established following the death of Indigenous 28-year-old Lloyd Boney who died in police custody in NSW in 1987.

The Commission found that Aboriginal people died in custody at the same rate as non-Aboriginal prisoners, but they were far more likely to be in prison than non-Aboriginal people.

The Royal Commission identified child removal as a significant precursor to these high rates of imprisonment. 

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Thousands flocked to streets around the country to show support for the global movement, which was fuelled by the death of African American man George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis policeman in May. Protesters are pictured at Langley park on June 12