THE death of an inmate at Junee Correctional Centre comes as one of many tragedies his grieving family have pinned on a failing justice system.
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Danny Whitton was just 25-years-old when he died after a suspected accidental overdose at the Riverina prison on November 9, 2015.
An inquest into Danny's death began on February 22 this year, and heard that on November 5, 2015, the young man was taken to the medical unit at Junee Correctional Centre.
Two day's later, staff found him with limited consciousness, rolling around on his bed, unable to control his movements. Almost five hours later, an ambulance was called and Danny was taken to Wagga Base Hospital.
Doctors diagnosed Danny as suffering from liver failure, and he was airlifted to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney where he passed away.
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With the inquest set to continue in May, it comes amid growing concerns that recommendations made from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody are yet to be adopted now 30 years on as of Thursday.
The Commission found that while Aboriginal people died in custody at the same rate as non-Aboriginal prisoners, they were far more likely to be imprisoned.
A total of 339 recommendations came from the report, including that imprisonment be a last resort, medical assistance be called if a detainee's condition deteriorates, greater collaboration with Indigenous communities be achieved, and a process of reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians be initiated.
Yet, almost 25 years on at the time of Danny's death, and his family say it still needs to change.
"[The system] needs to treat people as human beings, not as addicts or state property," Danny's mother Kylie Knight said.
Alongside Danny's father Darren Whitton, Ms Knight said she hoped the inquest would investigate how Danny accessed the drugs, why emergency medical care was delayed, and "serious deficiencies" in how correctional staff communicate with families.
"We have evidence from other men in the prison that as early as November 5, 2015, Danny's skin was yellow and he was 'pissing blood', vomiting and in pain," she said.
"Why did correctional staff wait another two days before taking him to hospital? Would he still be alive if he'd been taken sooner?"
On February 26 this year, Danny's sister Nikita House addressed the media to speak of their family's loss of "a much-loved son, brother, father, nephew, cousin and uncle".
She said her brother's positive impact was far-reaching despite his "demons".
"No one could ever forget Danny. It doesn't matter who he met, he always left his mark on them," Ms House said.
"Danny was so talented, but he also had his demons. He wished he hadn't gone down the wrong path.
"The biggest thing he wanted for his daughter and family was to not make the same mistakes he did.
"He told us to never give up in life, to always follow our dreams and believe in ourselves."
Since his death, Ms House said not a day goes by where they don't deal with "so much pain and so many unanswered questions".
She said the inquest helped answer some of those questions, but also "caused anger and sadness too".
"My brother Danny passed away much too young," she said.
"Five years later, our family still feels his loss every day. We do not want to see one more family have to go through this.
"Let's honour Danny's memory and make sure this never happens again. No more deaths in custody."
The Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT has since called for NSW parliamentarians to embrace recommendations from a parliamentary inquiry into First Nations over-incarceration and deaths in custody.
"It is appropriate that the very first recommendation from this NSW inquiry is to fully implement the recommendations from the Royal Commission, many of which have been gathering dust for the last 30 years," the service's CEO Karly Warner said.
"Yet, this highlights the fact that reports and recommendations mean very little unless they are embraced by governments and translated into decisive action."
Ms Warner stressed the fact that "more than 440 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have passed away in prisons and police custody since the Royal Commission", and said enough is enough.
"Kind, loving people like Danny Whitton's family continue to be left with unimaginable and avoidable grief," she said.
"We stand with them in their long quest for accountability and justice."
The Daily Advertiser contacted The GEO Group Australia, who manage the Junee Correctional Centre on behalf of corrective services, for comment.
A Spokeswoman said "as the matter is before the Coroner, it would be inappropriate to comment at this time".
"GEO extends its condolences to the family and friends of Mr Whitton," she said.
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