Unlocking the Black Box of In-Custody Deaths
Despite the frequency of in-custody deaths, their exact scope remains unknown and data is often intentionally obfuscated.
Prison Deaths
Christopher Blackwell
How the Federal Government Lost Track of Deaths in Custody
The Department of Justice is leaving researchers, policymakers, and advocates in the dark about deaths in police custody, prisons, and jails.
Grim Stories From Inside An Arkansas Prison Capture The Toll Of Covid-19
The accounts by prisoners in Cummins Unit contradict messaging from the state Department of Corrections, which says it has taken aggressive steps to stop the spread of coronavirus.
My Friend Spent Much of His Formative Years in Prison. He Didn’t Have to Die There.
Josh Norman was one of the 17 people to die in Mississippi prisons so far this year. His death raises important questions about the state’s failures.
Woman ‘Brutally’ Beaten in Mississippi Prison Died Because Officials Failed To Give Her Medical Care, Lawsuit Alleges
The father of Nicole Rathmann says his daughter was “not made safe by employees” while incarcerated at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility. She was one of 16 prisoners to die in state custody in August 2018.
After Deadly Week For Mississippi Prisoners, Advocates See Blood ‘On The Hands’ of Lawmakers and Prison Officials
The violence that has left at least five people dead is the result of longstanding issues that have been ignored, justice advocates and prisoners’ family members say.
‘It’s Just Heartbreaking’: Families Search for Answers as Death Rate Rises in Mississippi Prisons
Prison deaths in Mississippi have climbed nearly 40 percent in recent years, from 62 in fiscal year 2014 to a high of 85 in fiscal year 2018.
Alabama Prisoners Say They’ve Been Punished For Trying to Reduce Violence
A wave of hunger strikes hit Alabama prisons as DOJ released a report calling the facilities “unconstitutional.”
Corizon, The Prison Healthcare Giant, Stumbles Again
The company recently lost its contract with Arizona after allegations of serious—and sometimes fatal—medical neglect that have echoes across the country.
In 1 Day, New Mexico Prison Had 2 Suicides In Solitary Confinement
The state uses solitary at one of the highest rates in the nation.
Lawsuit Claims Delaware Prisoners Are Still Being Beaten, Stripped And Tortured Months After Uprising
Meanwhile, the abysmal medical care that helped spark the riot persists.
Mother’s Lawsuit Says Oklahoma Prison Failed to Prevent Her Daughter’s Death
New development in a high-profile case comes as advocates question the state’s prison conditions and sentencing practices.
At Angola Prison, ‘People Are Suffering. People Are Dying’
Trial begins in class action suit alleging medical neglect by Louisiana State Penitentiary.
Prisons Crack Down On An Opioid Treatment Drug, Endangering Lives
Few of the prisons trying to stem flow of contraband Suboxone offer substantial opioid treatment programs.
‘Just Let Him Kick’
Lawsuits allege that a private Tennessee prison neglected diabetic prisoners, contributing to at least one death.
Most Recent Deaths At East Baton Rouge Jail Could Have Been Avoided
A new report details the abysmal conditions, lack of medical care, and staff shortages that led to the unusually high death rate in East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.
Inmate’s death continues to haunt Miami prosecutor
Years after his brutal death, Darren Rainey remains on the minds of the people of Miami. That’s bad news for Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. In 2012, guards locked Rainey in the shower at the Dade Correctional Institute. He died after he was essentially boiled to death. Other inmates said he was screaming for […]