Whether a person behind bars is a detainee or has already been convicted of a crime, they are constitutionally entitled to appropriate health care, including mental health care. Incarceration is incredibly stressful, and that stress can lead people to deep emotional depths, including suicidality. Too often, however, jail staff members…
The death of 27-year-old S.B. was the tragic final chapter of a man allowed to “fall through the cracks” repeatedly. The man’s situation included many institutional failures, but one of the biggest was the inadequate mental health care he allegedly received while behind bars in Douglas County. Inmates and detainees…
Last week, a 31-year-old woman died inside Multnomah County’s jail in Downtown Portland. The seven-month stint without a jail death was an improvement from 2023 when 10 inmates/detainees died inside the county’s lockups. Even so, too many people are dying behind bars due to preventable reasons. Sometimes it is a…
Ten people died while in custody at the Multnomah County Jail in 2022 and 2023, as compared to zero deaths in the preceding two years. Too many times, preventable deaths – whether here locally or elsewhere – are the result of protocols not being followed or people otherwise not doing…
Insufficient medical treatment inside detention facilities is a significant issue around the country, including in Oregon’s jails and prisons. One major problem, a byproduct of the nationwide opioid epidemic, is an ever-increasing number of people entering lockup amid addiction. Whether as a result of a lack of diligence or a…
Many locations are reporting enormous spikes in jail deaths. Locally, Multnomah County has reported seven deaths this year, which is more than the previous five years combined. Too many jail deaths involve inmates who needed essential (and often immediate) medical care but didn’t get it. A federal jail death case…
Many locations are reporting enormous spikes in jail deaths. Locally, Multnomah County has reported seven deaths this year, which is more than the previous five years combined. Too many jail deaths involve inmates who needed essential (and often immediate) medical care but didn’t get it. A federal jail death case…
Two different reports of two recent jail deaths (from two different publications) reveal a pair of incidents with some striking things in common. These deaths, and the timelines laid out in the accompanying news reports, show how often inmates receive questionable medical care. These reports are a stark reminder that…
Incarcerated people ingesting contraband (such as drugs) or other dangerous items is a legitimate problem. Like every other problem that correction workers face, there’s a right way and a wrong way to address it. Sometimes, the use of a so-called “dry cell” represents the wrong way, and the misuse of…
WellPath, the Tennessee company with a trail of numerous civil actions regarding inmates who died while in its care, appears not to be slowed by the cloud of that litigation. Earlier this month, Oregon Public Radio reported that WellPath and Clark County had agreed to a three-year contract for services…
