Search results matching tag 'Deaths in custody'

Statistics on Deaths in Custody

Sandy Schilling — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 20:41:00 GMT

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) has launched a special topics page for deaths in custody. The Death in Custody Reporting Act (Public Law 106-297) required that BJS collect data and information on the circumstances surrounding a death in custody. The data has been collected for jails, state prisons, and state juvenile correctional facilities.

Medical Causes of Death in State Prisons, 2001-2004

CC Pro — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 17:08:00 GMT

Data collected under the Death in Custody Reporting Program (DCRP) indicate half of all state prisoner deaths between 2001-2004 were the result of heart diseases and cancer. This report contains the first national data collected and published on the number, characteristics, and circumstances of the 10 leading causes of state prisoner deaths.

Highlights:

Male State prisoners had a death rate 72% higher than female State prisoners
Two-thirds of the deaths involved inmates age 45 or older
Death from illness increased with time served in prison
Over 40% of prisoner deaths took place in 5 States

The full report is available here.

Longer Life in Prison than Free?

Eileen Conway — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 17:21:00 GMT

Is prison the place to be to live a longer life? The Bureau of Justice Statistics has released Medical Causes of Death in State Prisons, 2001-2004. Among its findings are that "State prisoners had a 19% lower death rate than the adult U.S. resident population; among blacks the morality rate was 57% lower among prisoners."