Jail Suicide Rate Skyrocketing In New Jersey: Report

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — How many people are dying while in the custody of New Jersey prisons? It may be almost impossible to tell, a recent report says.

Although there are jails in 20 of 21 counties in the Garden State, they “operate with little oversight” from the New Jersey Department of Corrections, which has a “patchwork system of rules and no consistent system for investigating deaths,” according to a WNYC report. (Read the full article here)

For example, 17 deaths have been recorded at the Hudson County Correctional Facility since 2013, but officials were only able to locate incident reports for six, WNYC stated.

Suicides committed by inmates with untreated drug addictions or mental illnesses are big contributors to the number of prison deaths in New Jersey. The rate of suicide in the state’s jails rose an average of 55 percent each year between 2012 and 2016, WNYC reported.

“With the exception of Hudson County, where officials recently increased spending on mental health and stepped up screenings as part of the intake process for prisoners, these deaths have garnered little attention from the state,” WNYC reported.

Read about some case examples here, and listen to the WNYC broadcast below.

• See related article: 1 In 10 New Jersey Inmates Will Likely Die In Jail, Report Says
• See related article: Maggots, Squalor For ICE Detainees At 'Inhumane' NJ Jails
• See related article: Brick Man's Widow Awarded $1.5M In OC Jail Suicide

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