(NewsNation) — A report from the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General found the Federal Bureau of Prisons failed to do enough to prevent inmate deaths.
The report examined 344 inmate deaths between 2014 and 2021 that were categorized as suicide, homicide, accidental or resulting from unknown factors. Suicide and homicide deaths were the most common, and the OIG found deficiencies within the BOP that created unsafe conditions.
Suicides accounted for just over half of the deaths reviewed for the report. The OIG found that police violations and operational failures contributed to suicides, including issues with the way staff completed inmate assessments and inmates being assigned to inappropriate levels of mental health care.
The report indicated more than half of the suicide deaths happened when inmates were housed alone in a cell, which is known to increase suicide risk. The report also found staff failed to coordinate treatment across departments or conduct required rounds or counts. The BOP also failed to conduct training like mock suicide drills that would prepare staff to respond to possible suicides.
Other findings included shortcomings with emergency response, including a lack of urgency, failure to bring appropriate equipment, unclear communication and problems with naloxone administration in overdoses.
The report also found the BOP did not provide documents required by its own policies regarding inmate death. The report noted that a lack of information hindered the agency’s ability to understand the circumstances leading to inmate deaths or prevent deaths in the future.
Finally, the report found contraband contributed to nearly a third of inmate deaths, with weapons or drugs smuggled into prisons as the result of staffing shortages, outdated security systems and failures to follow BOP policies.
The report made 12 recommendations to the BOP, including changes to medical training and response, additional training for staff, changes to record-keeping and making updates to equipment for screening. The BOP agreed with the recommendations.