Suicides in prisons have reached a three-year high in 2017, right on the cusp of Massachusetts passing a comprehensive criminal justice reform bill. According to state and county data, there were 14 suicides in Massachusetts jails last year. With the suicide of New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez last year, there has been an increased scrutiny on the safety of prisoners in the state’s jails.
Jails are typically meant for individuals awaiting crime and individuals convicted of a crime with a sentence less than two and a half years. Overall, there are 13 sheriff-run jails throughout the Commonwealth that house approximately 10,000 inmates each day. According to the Boston Globe, there have been 65 suicides between 2006 and 2017 in Massachusetts jails equaling a rate of approximately 78 suicides per 100,000 inmates. This makes the suicide rate higher than the national average for jails (at 50 suicides per 100,000 inmates) and higher than the rate for Massachusetts prisons (at roughly 30 per 100,000 after a reform effort was implemented in 2007). Nationwide, there are 13 deaths by suicide for every 100,000 people.
While the fact that jails are more dangerous than prison is relatively unsurprising, the rate of suicides at Massachusetts prisons has decreased in recent years, while the suicide rate for the state’s jails have only increased. Jail inmates are typically straight off the streets and may be struggling with untreated mental health problems or substance abuse issues. For individuals going through withdraws, the confinement of jail can be especially haunting.
Furthermore, there is a distinct lack of mental health treatment for those in Massachusetts jails. Just because of the transient nature of jail populations, it is difficult establishing and implementing a long-term care program for inmates suffering from depression or drug addiction. However, the problem is further compounded by a lack of mental health experts in the state jails. In Hampden County, there are only 10 full-time mental health experts for approximately 1,400 inmates. Bristol County has even fewer doctors on staff with only three mental health experts for roughly 1,350 daily inmates. According to state officials, there is no standardized medical or mental health care in county jails and there is no statewide protocol to screen for potentially suicidal inmates entering the jails.
Discussing suicide prevention methods at his jail, Sherriff Thomas Hodgson, who runs the Bristol County Jail and House Correction, said his facility used suicide-resistant cells, provided tear-resistant clothing to suicidal inmates, and grouped inmates at high-risk of suicide with other inmates or put them on “suicide watch.”
According to prison reform advocates, providing mental health services to inmates is the most effective way to prevent suicide. Advocates also state that mentally ill inmates are less likely to commit suicide when housed with other inmates instead of alone. This largely reflects concerns with the effect of solitary confinement on a person’s mental health. Advocates for mental health and prison reform are increasing pressure on the state government to track the suicides in county jails.