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Dortell Williams Approximately 110 words H-45771 / A2-206 ' Non—fiction P.0. Box 4430 Lancaster, CA 93539 SUICIDES RULE IN PRISON by Dortell Williams Would you believe suicide is the leading cause of death in American jails? I'd have never guessed that considering how cushy and comfortable some people would have us to believe the jails are. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics’, "Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2007," the latest report, suicide is more prevalent in our nation's jails than heart disease, or even homicide. During the report period 2,361 prisoners per 100,000 committed suicide verses 171 homicides per 100,000. June 2011 Williams / SUICIDES RULE IN PRISONS Page 2 The State prison system fairs no better with a suicide rate eight times greater than the national average. Given the sensational portrayals of prisons, American prisoners, including those who've murdered, are more likely to die of suicide than any other reason. I guess prisons are not cushy places where inmates are coddled death. American jails are hellish places where prisoners are killing themselves by the thousands.
