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Jail Deaths

An illustration depicts two correctional officers dressed in gray shirts and black pants standing in front of a beige wall with barred windows high above them. At a distance in shadows lies the body of an incarcerated person wearing an orange prison jumpsuit crumpled on the floor.
Investigate This January 31
Journalists: How to Report on Deaths in Jails and Prisons
When you get a tip about a death or multiple deaths in your local jail or prison, there are concrete steps you can take to start investigating.
By The Marshall Project
A Black woman’s hands hold a photo of a Black man wearing a black suit jacket, white shirt and black tie.
Cleveland January 23
‘Nobody’s Trying to Help Him’: Deaths in Cuyahoga County Jail Intensify Scrutiny
Videos depicting two men’s final moments, and the response by guards, raise alarms at the embattled jail where at least 24 people have died since 2018.
By and , The Marshall Project, and Scott Noll, News 5 Cleveland
A man wearing a blue uniform sits on a metal folding chair in a small room.
Closing Argument December 14, 2024
How Inhumane Prison and Jail Conditions Prompt Calls for Federal Takeovers
Some state and local lockups are facing federal intervention due to problems ranging from filthy cells to violent abuse.
By
Belzley, a White man with gray hair and a goatee, wears a blue button-down shirt and khakis, and stands behind a large drum kit.
Feature December 4, 2024
After Jail Deaths and No Justice, This Kentucky Lawyer Tried to Make a Difference
A tough legal precedent had kept his clients from their day in court, so Greg Belzley decided there was only one thing to do — try to change the law.
By Ryan Kost
Feature July 30, 2024
This Company Promised to Improve Health Care in Jails. Dozens of Its Patients Have Died.
Turn Key Health Clinics has quickly expanded to jails in 10 states. Some of its policies and practices have endangered patients.
By , Brianna Bailey and Sachi Mcclendon
Left, a Black woman holds a photo of herself in a red dress sitting alongside her husband, a Black man with a beard wearing a blue T-shirt and a gold crucifix chain; right, the Black woman with short hair, earrings and a white shirt, looks into the distance.
Inside Story March 23, 2023
Violence on the Inside, Mentorship From the Outside
We investigate violence at one of the newest federal prisons and talk with La La Anthony about preparing incarcerated youth for life on the outside.
By and
Three men in blue uniforms sleep on the floor, as one sits on a chair nearby.
News November 4, 2022
Why So Many Jails Are in a ‘State of Complete Meltdown’
Overcrowding, violence and abuse proliferate at jails across the country, as staffing problems make long-simmering problems worse.
By
Life Inside October 28, 2022
I Spent Over 40 Years Working in Corrections. I Wasn’t Ready for Rikers.
Rikers Island jail complex “reflects our nation’s racist and destructive fixation on imprisonment,” writes former New York City jails commissioner Vincent Schiraldi. “It’s Exhibit A for why we need to end mass incarceration.”
By Vincent Schiraldi
News July 15, 2021
Inside The Nation’s Overdose Crisis in Prisons and Jails
Behind bars, drug use is rampant and uniquely deadly, new data shows.
By and Jimmy Jenkins
Feature July 29, 2020
Your Local Jail May Be A House of Horrors
But you probably wouldn’t know it, because sheriffs rule them with little accountability. After one man’s death in a notorious lockup, residents of a Missouri town fought back.
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