Margaret E. Noonan, Bureau of Justice Statistics

December 15, 2016    NCJ 250150

Describes national- and state-level data on inmate deaths that occurred in state prisons from 2001 to 2014 and presents aggregate counts of inmate deaths in federal prisons. Mortality data include the number of deaths and mortality rates by year, cause of death, selected decedent characteristics, and the state where the death occurred. A preliminary count of prisoner deaths in 2015 is also provided. Data are from BJS's Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, which was initiated under the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-297). Federal data are based on counts from the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Highlights:

• ƒBetween 2001 and 2014, there were 50,785 prisoner deaths in state and federal prisons. The majority (45,640) of prisoner deaths occurred in state prisons.
• ƒThe number of suicides in state prisons increased 30% between 2013 and 2014 (from 192 to 249 deaths). Liver disease deaths, the third most common cause of death, declined 12% between 2013 and 2014 (from 354 to 313 deaths).
• More female state prisoners died in 2014 (154) than in any year since 2008 (163).
• Texas (409), Florida (346), and California (317) had the highest number of deaths in state prisons in 2014.
• The mortality rate of females for illness-related deaths increased to 238 per 100,000 state prisoners in 2014, up from 235 per 100,000 in 2013.

Part of the Mortality in Local Jails and State Prisons Series

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