Suicides hit a high of 50 deaths for every 100,000 inmates in 2014, investigation finds

In a nearly 3,500-word piece, the AP (6/18) reports, “Suicide, long the leading cause of death in U.S. jails, hit a high of 50 deaths for every 100,000 inmates in 2014,” which was “the latest year for which the government has released data.” More and more, “troubling questions are being raised about the treatment of inmates in many jails, possible patterns of neglect – and whether better care could have stopped suicides.” Now, “a joint investigation by the Associated Press and the University of Maryland’s Capital News Service finds that scores of jails have been sued or investigated in recent years for allegedly refusing inmates medication, ignoring their cries for help, failing to monitor them despite warnings they might harm themselves or imposing such harsh conditions that the sick got sicker.”