The article explores how data is collected and made available to the general public on the detention of Indigenous Australian people by police. The research cited involves sources that contributed to the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody as well as publicly available information on the suitability of most police holding cells.

The article notes that the Custody Notification Service (CNS) 'aims to avoid preventable deaths in police custody by ensuring First Nations peoples have access to legal, health and welfare services when needed. Although all states and territories have implemented a CNS, the nature of these arrangements are inconsistent with some states yet to legislate the initiative and evidence suggesting that even where the process has been mandated it is not always used.'