|
|
| Report: California Inmate Suicide Up |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 06/24/2002 |
|
The number of inmates who committed suicide in California's county jails increased dramatically last year, possibly because more mentally ill people are being incarcerated instead of hospitalized, officials said. A record 38 inmates committed suicide in 2001, up from 23 in 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported in its June 16 editions. The previous high was 37 in 1983, before wrongful death lawsuits led to reforms in the supervision of potentially suicidal inmates. So far this year, 10 inmates in statewide county jails have committed suicide. Most have come by strangulation with jail bedding, socks or shoelaces. 'It's not surprising that the numbers are going up given the number of individuals in county jails identified as mentally ill,' said William J. Crout, deputy director of the state Board of Corrections. Records filed with the state Department of Justice by the counties where the suicides occurred show inmates to be a mix of young and old, educated and jobless, and accused of crimes from petty theft to murder. Most were awaiting trial. The suicide rate for the 73,000 county jail inmates in California is 52 per 100,000. By comparison, the 33 state prisons had 21 suicides in a population of 157,493, or 13 per 100,000 prisoners. County jail inmates are different from state prisoners; many are first-time prisoners who may become unstable in a confined environment. A survey by the state corrections board shows the number of inmates getting mental health treatment has more than doubled in five years. Authorities say there are two reasons that more mentally ill people land behind bars: Less tolerance for quality-of-life crimes such as aggressive panhandling and public drunkenness. At the same time, many county mental health treatment institutions have closed, leaving no alternatives to jail. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
He has blue eyes. Cold like steel. His legs are wide. Like tree trunks. And he has a shock of red hair, red, like the fires of hell. Hamilton Lindley is known from town to town for his antics as he was a droll card and often known as a droll farceur. with his madcap pantaloon is a zany adventurer and a cavorter with a motley troupe of buffoons.