Publisher's Synopsis
In 2011, 4,238 inmates died while in the custody of local jails or state prisons, an increase of 2% or 88 deaths from 2010. A total of 885 deaths (21%) occurred in local jails. Overall, jails reported 33 fewer deaths in 2011 than in 2010. Heart disease and suicide continued to be the two leading causes of death in local jails, accounting for more than half (61%) of all jail deaths in 2011. The mortality rate in jails (122 deaths per 100,000 inmates) declined 2% from 2010 to 2011, continuing a general decline in mortality rates that was first observed in 2008. Heart disease and suicide mortality rates remained relatively stable between 2010 and 2011.
