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 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 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,” the spokesperson 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.