Prison Suicides Potentially Worsened by COVID-19

Nationwide, prison suicides have been increasing for years, and some experts worry worsening conditions and staff shortages brought on by the pandemic may accelerate that rise, reports NBC News. Delays in data reporting, though, make it difficult to tell: The most recent national figures from the Bureau of Justice Statistics showed an 85 percent increase in state and federal prison suicides from 2001 to 2018, but 2020 data won’t come out until next year. New York and Pennsylvania reported decreases in 2020. In Michigan, the number of self-inflicted deaths more than doubled to 10 last year, compared to four in 2019. In federal prisons, the suicide rate rose slightly, even though there were three fewer suicides. In Texas, there were 50 prison suicides in 2020, the highest number in at least 20 years, even though the prison population fell by 20,000. By late July, the year 2021 was on track to exceed that.

Meanwhile, lockups are struggling with staffing shortages exacerbated by the pandemic, which makes it difficult to supervise prisoners. Several Texas prisons are less than 50 percent staffed, Michigan is several hundred guards short, and the federal prison system has so many vacancies that cooks and teachers are working as guards. In some Southern states, the problems are compounded by the challenge of surviving without air conditioning in summer temperatures that regularly surpass 100 degrees. This is especially challenging for people on mental health medications that make them more sensitive to the heat. There’s no definitive nationwide data on suicide attempts in prison. Of the two largest prison systems, one — the Bureau of Prisons — refused to release those numbers, and the other — Texas — has not tracked suicide attempts consistently.