Another Indigenous man has died in Victorian custody, the state's corrections minister has confirmed, as he formally apologised on behalf of the government.
The 70-year-old Torres Strait Islander man died in hospital last week, Minister Enver Erdogan told the Yoorrook Justice Commission on Monday morning.
His death means there have been 34 deaths in Victorian custody since the 1991 royal commission, including 24 deaths in correction facilities.
Mr Erdogan confirmed the news in a statement to the commission, saying he would not disclose the man's name due to the family's wishes.
The minister also apologised for the state's role in Indigenous deaths in custody.
He noted most deaths were the result of "critical and unacceptable" failings in the state's institutions.
"Personally, and on behalf of the state, I apologise for them and for the profound grief and trauma those deaths have caused," Mr Erdogan said,
"We must continue to address systemic injustices that result in Aboriginal people being over-represented in the criminal justice system."
Yoorrook chair Eleanor Bourke thanked the minister for his apology but said it wasn't enough to just acknowledge the trauma that has been caused.
"We need change," she told the commission. "We need a justice system that lives up to its name."
In his evidence to the inquiry, Mr Erdogan accepted most people who end up in custody have backgrounds of trauma that need to be addressed through therapeutic rather than punitive measures.
He could not state how much the Victorian government has allocated to providing those programs, but acknowledged it wasn't as much as the $2 billion going towards prison infrastructure projects.
Mr Erdogan also said it was important for people in prison to have access to health and other required services.
He accepted improvements could be made to ensure those services were actually being provided to prisoners.
His evidence continues.