Though the number of people imprisoned in Los Angeles County is roughly a third less today than what it was a decade ago, the annual death rate has more than doubled in that time frame, reports the Los Angeles Times. Jail leaders, oversight officials and inmate advocates have cited fentanyl, COVID-19 and overcrowding as causes. But a Times review of thousands of pages of autopsies, lawsuits, medical records and oversight reports found another common thread: neglect.
According to recent records, inmates have died from jumping off railings, banging their heads against a wall and injecting drugs with makeshift needles — all in view of jail surveillance cameras. Oversight officials have questioned the quality and frequency of required safety checks. State authorities with the Board of State and Community Corrections cited the jails for noncompliance. State data shows the death toll rose from 28 in 2014 to at least 50 in 2021 before falling to 45 last year. Natural deaths — those caused by disease and illness — still account for roughly half of the yearly fatalities in L.A. County jails. And while research shows that inmates are disproportionately likely to have certain chronic health problems before ending up in custody, inadequate care behind bars can cause those problems to become deadly.
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