An Aboriginal man has died at a privately run prison in New South Wales.

The 21-year-old died at the Clarence Correctional Centre near Grafton, which is operated by British multinational Serco. His death is being investigated by NSW Police and Serco.

No further information has been released.

The man is the 20th Indigenous person to die in custody this year, according to the Australian Institute of Criminology's real-time dashboard.

Serco referred to a statement from a Clarence Correctional Centre spokesperson, who said they are "aware a 21-year-old Aboriginal man died at Clarence Correctional Centre on Wednesday 15 July".

"Serco extends our sympathies to the family, and the wider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community," the statement said.

"Any death in custody is immediately reported to the NSW Coroner and subject to a compulsory public inquiry."

Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS) NSW/ACT acting chief executive officer, Sharif Deen, said the organisation is "deeply saddened and distressed to learn of another Aboriginal death in custody, and we extend our condolences to this young man's family and community".

"We are in the midst of a deaths in custody crisis," Mr Deen said.

"A record number of Aboriginal people died in custody across NSW last year. We've been notified of six Aboriginal deaths in custody so far in 2026, which puts NSW on track to repeat last year's shameful record, if not break it."

He said the NSW Government is "presiding over the highest numbers and rates of Aboriginal imprisonment in the state's history," with nearly half of all adults in custody being held on remand.

"This tragedy is being fuelled by an unprecedented increase in the number of Aboriginal adults being forced into prisons and police cells," Mr Deen said. "Right now, one in 23 Aboriginal men in NSW is incarcerated.

"The Government can talk all it likes about justice initiatives and commitment to Aboriginal people, but the numbers don't lie. Prisons are filling up, the system is on the brink of collapse, and we are terrified about the consequences for our clients."