Deaths in U.S. state prisons are on the rise
Prison Policy Initiative updates for February 13, 2020 Showing how mass incarceration harms communities and our national welfare
Yesterday, three years after it last published data on mortality in U.S. prisons and jails, the Bureau of Justice Statistics finally released its updated Mortality in Correctional Institutions reports. We explained the new data in a two-part series. Part 1, about deaths in local jails, is below. Part 2, about deaths in state prisons, is at www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2020/02/13/prisondeaths/. [[link removed]]
New BJS report reveals staggering number of preventable deaths in local jails [[link removed]] In 2016, over 1,000 people died in local jails - many the tragic result of healthcare and jail systems that fail to address serious health problems among the jail population, and of the trauma of incarceration itself. [[link removed]]
by Alexi Jones
A new Bureau of Justice Statistics report [[link removed]] reveals that over 1,000 people died in local jails in 2016, underscoring the dangers of jail incarceration. Most troublingly, the report finds at least half of these deaths are preventable, with suicide remaining the leading cause of death. These preventable deaths are the tragic result of healthcare and jail systems that fail to address serious health problems among the jail population - both inside and out of the jail setting - and of the trauma of incarceration itself.
The new report reveals that half of all deaths in jails are due to suicide, accident, homicide, and drug or alcohol intoxication, all of which are largely preventable. Once again, suicide was the leading cause of death in jails. The jail suicide rate is far higher than that of state prisons [[link removed]] or among the American population [[link removed]] in general.
The other half of deaths in jails are due to illness, such as heart disease or liver disease, many of which likely could have be prevented if not for the abysmal healthcare in jails.
People in jail often have serious physical and mental health needs. They are five times more likely [[link removed]] than the general population to have a serious mental illness, and two-thirds [[link removed]] have a substance use disorder. They also are more likely [[link removed]] to have had chronic health conditions and infectious diseases. Moreover, many people experience serious medical and mental health crises after they are booked into jail, including withdrawal, psychological distress, and the " shock of confinement [[link removed]]."
Yet despite their serious needs, people in jail rarely have access to adequate healthcare [[link removed]]. History [[link removed]] has [[link removed]] shown [[link removed]] that jails are unable to provide effective mental health and medical care to incarcerated people.
For example, CNN recently published a scathing investigation [[link removed]] into WellPath (formerly Correct Care Solutions), one of the country's largest jail healthcare providers. The investigation found that WellPath provides substandard healthcare that has led to more than 70 preventable deaths in local jails between 2014 and 2018. WellPath, like other correctional healthcare companies, has been accused of prioritizing cost-cutting over patient health, with little governmental oversight [[link removed]]. CNN found that WellPath doctors and nurses often denied specialized testing, medication, and treatments. They have also failed to diagnose and treat psychiatric disorders, denied emergency room transfers for urgent cases, and allowed common infections and conditions to progress to the point of fatality.
Previous research also shows that the jail environment itself can lead to serious health crises. As a report [[link removed]] from the Department of Justice explains, "certain features of the jail environment enhance suicidal behavior: fear of the unknown, distrust of an authoritarian environment, perceived lack of control over the future, isolation from family and significant others, shame of incarceration, and perceived dehumanizing aspects of incarceration." People in jails are regularly denied contact with family and friends through the elimination of in-person visits [[link removed]] and the high cost of phone calls [[link removed]], denied access [[link removed]] to adequate medical care and nutritious food [[link removed]], exposed to unbearable heat [[link removed]] and cold [[link removed]], and often subjected to the torturous conditions of solitary confinement [[link removed]].
Moreover, jails are often understaffed and/or have inadequately trained staff, and the vast majority of people working in jails are trained as correctional officers, not health providers or social workers. Despite years of evidence that suicide is the leading cause of jail deaths, many jail staff are not even trained in suicide prevention [[link removed]]. Worse, some jail staff display indifference toward incarcerated people's lives, often refusing to take their health concerns seriously and cutting off access to healthcare - with fatal [[link removed]] consequences [[link removed]]. For example, Clackamas County Jail workers were caught on camera laughing and joking about a military veteran overdosing in his cell [[link removed]]. Even a nurse on duty reportedly spent less than five minutes with the man, who died after authorities finally took him to a hospital.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics data released yesterday emphasizes, yet again, the dangers of even short jail stays: 40% of jail deaths occur within the first week of a person's incarceration. Given how just a few hours or days in jail can turn deadly, the report underscores the need to divert people away from jail - especially those with mental health and substance use disorders who are at increased risk - as well as the urgency of reducing the use of pretrial detention.
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Other news: Why are we waiting so long for new data about the criminal justice system? [[link removed]]
The Bureau of Justice Statistics is tasked with collecting, analyzing, and publishing data about the criminal justice system. But our recent analysis shows that its reports are slowing down - and its framing of criminal justice issues is becoming more punitive.
Read our November analysis. [[link removed]]
Colorado could soon be the eighth state to end prison gerrymandering [[link removed]]
This week, Colorado HB 20-1010, which would end prison gerrymandering in the state of Colorado, passed the house. The bill will now go to the senate.
Read more about prison gerrymandering in your state. [[link removed]]
Please support our work [[link removed]]
Our work is made possible by private donations. Can you help us keep going? We can accept tax-deductible gifts online [[link removed]] or via paper checks sent to PO Box 127 Northampton MA 01061. Thank you!
Our other newsletters Ending prison gerrymandering ( archives [[link removed]]) Criminal justice research library ( archives) [[link removed]]
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