Death in Prison: Changing Mortality Patterns Among Male Prisoners in Maryland, 1979-87

• NCJ Number: 134119
• Journal: American Journal of Public Health Volume: 80 Issue: 12 Dated: (December 1990) Pages: 1479-1480
• Author(s): M E Salive; G S Smith; T F Brewer
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 2 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Free online PDF and HTML access to the American Journal of Public Health is provided by the publisher 24 months after individual issues are released.

Annotation

Death certificates for all male inmates of Maryland State prisons between January 1979 and December 1987 were studied to determine patterns and trends in the causes of death.

Abstract

Circulatory system disease was the leading cause of death during the period, accounting for 59 deaths per 100,000 prisoners. Suicide was next, with a rate of 40, followed by homicide and legal intervention, with a rate of 30. In 1987 AIDS became the leading cause of death. Homicides declined after 1980; drug overdose deaths peaked in 1981 and later disappeared. Findings also showed that male inmates have 39 percent lower overall death rates than the general population of Maryland, after adjustment for age and race. Table, figure, and 22 references (Author abstract modified)