American Jail Death-Rates - A Comparison of the 1978 and 1983 Jail Census Data

• NCJ Number: 101631
• Date Published: 1985
• Author(s): L T Winfree
• Length: 59 pages
• Grant Number(s): OJP-85-M-385
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

Drawing upon relevant data from the 1978 and 1983 National Jail Censuses and other official sources, this study compared the nationwide aggregate death rates and cause-specific death rates (suicide, homicide, and natural causes) of jail populations with those of the general population. A State-by-State analysis of aggregate jail death rates identified variables related to jail deaths in 1977 and 1982.

Abstract

Death rates due to homicide and natural causes were lower in jails than in the general population, but inmates committed suicide at a rate between 5 and 15 times higher than the rate for free citizens. The aggregate trend in jail death rates was downward from 1978 to 1983; suicide rates, however, exhibited less of a decline than inmate deaths due to other causes. Statistical analysis of inmate death rates by State indicates that in 1983, inmate deaths were related to the number of persons in jails and the average length of time in jail. Data for 1978 indicate that inmate death rates were related not only to the number of inmates and the period at risk, but also to intrainstitutional and extrainstitutional factors operative in local corrections. 54 references and 9 data tables.