Washington D.C., Jun 27, 2019 / 10:04 am
With suicide rates remaining high in the United States' prison system, civil advocates are raising concerns regarding the treatment of inmates.
Suicide is the leading cause of death in prison. According to recent data from the U.S. Department of Justice, 372 suicides occurred in 3,000 federal prisons in 2014. This number is 2.5 times higher than suicide rates in state prisons and 3.5 times higher than in general society.
The Associated Press conducted a recent investigation into suicide rates in prisons, finding that more than 300 suicides occurred in local prisons throughout nine states from 2015 to 2017.
Many lawsuits regarding prison mistreatment have to do with self-immolation and attempted suicide, according to the AP. Out of 400 lawsuits in the last five years, 40% involved an attempt of suicide.