U.S. Dept of Justice, Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000-2019
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U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics October 2021, NCJ 300731 E. Ann Carson, Ph.D., BJS Statistician T he total number of suicides in state, federal, and local correctional facilities increased from 499 in 2001 to 695 in 2019 (fgure 1, table 1). From 2001 to 2019, suicides accounted for 5% to 8% of all deaths among state and federal prisoners and 24% to 35% of deaths among local jail inmates. Most jail inmates and state and federal prisoners who died by suicide were males, were non-Hispanic whites, and died by means of sufocation, including hanging and self-strangulation. More than half of all suicides in local jails occurred within the frst 30 days of incarceration, while the overwhelming majority of suicides in state and federal prisons took place afer the prisoners had served more than a year of their sentence. In 2019, a total of 355 local jail inmates died by suicide. Almost 13% of jails operating above their rated or design capacity had one or more suicides, compared to approximately 9% of jails operating at or below capacity. Deaths by suicide FIGURE 1 Number of suicides in local jails and state and federal prisons, 2000–2019 Number of suicides 400 Local jails 300 200 State and federal prisons* 100 0 2000 2005 2010 2015 2019 Note: Jail counts exclude and prison counts include deaths in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. See table 1 for counts. *Includes deaths in publicly and privately operated state facilities. Includes deaths in Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities and excludes deaths in privately operated federal facilities. See Methodology. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Federal Law Enforcement Agency Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, 2015–2019; Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000–2019; and National Prisoner Statistics program, 2001–2019. Highlights From 2001 to 2019, the number of suicides increased 85% in state prisons, 61% in federal prisons, and 13% in local jails. During 2010-19, suffocation, including hanging and self-strangulation, accounted for nearly 90% of suicide deaths in local jails. During 2015-19, about 12% of deaths by suicide in local jails occurred within the first 24 hours of incarceration, a decrease from almost 22% during 2000-04. The average suicide rate for white inmates in local jails was 93 per 100,000 during the 5-year period of 2015-19, which is 5 times the rate for black inmates (18 per 100,000) and more than 3 times the rate for Hispanic inmates (26 per 100,000). Almost 60% of state prisoners who died by suicide during 2001-19 were white. During 2001-19, state prisoners who had been sentenced for a violent offense accounted for almost 72% of suicides in state prisons. During 2015-19, about 75% of suicides in state prisons and 64% of suicides in federal prisons occurred after the first year of imprisonment. Persons serving time in federal prison for weapons offenses and sex offenses each accounted for about 20% of suicides in federal facilities during 2015-19. In 2019, suicides occurred in 217 state and federal prisons, 19% of all prison facilities. Bureau of Justice Statistics · Statistical Tables Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables in 2019 were concentrated in the largest jails. More than half of local jails housing 1,000 or more inmates on June 30, 2019 reported at least one inmate suicide. In 2019, 340 state and federal prisoners died by suicide. Similar to local jails, suicides were more likely to occur in large state and federal prison facilities. About 45% of state and federal prisons that held 2,500 or more prisoners at midyear 2019 reported one or more suicides. Tis report fulflls a House Appropriations Committee request to publish data in 2021 on suicides in jails and prisons. Tese statistical tables present data from the Mortality in Correctional Institutions collection, through which the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) obtained data on deaths in jails from 2000 to 2019 and deaths in state prisons from 2001 to 2019. Data on deaths in federal prisons were obtained from aggregate counts reported to BJS’s National Prisoner Statistics program from 2001 to 2014, and from individuallevel death data collected through the Federal Law Enforcement Agency Deaths in Custody Reporting Program from 2015 to 2019. Deaths are aggregated into 5-year periods in this report so stable suicide rates can be calculated from the suicide counts. Te tables describe geographic, demographic, and criminal justice characteristics of jail inmate and prisoner suicides, as well as circumstances surrounding the deaths. Suicides that occurred in 2019 are linked to data from BJS’s 2019 Census of Local Jails and 2019 Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities to describe characteristics of facilities that had a suicide. Suicides in local jails Local jails had 355 deaths by suicide in 2019, an increase from 289 in 2000. During the 20-year period of 2000-19, California had a total of 615 suicides in local jails, Texas had 448, Florida had 333, and Pennsylvania had 325 (table 2). Te suicide rate among local jail inmates in 2019 (49 per 100,000) was similar to the rate in 2000 (48 per 100,000) (fgure 2). Te suicide rate in local jails peaked in 2015 at 52 per 100,000 inmates. During 2000-19, local jails in the South had 2,608 suicides, compared to 1,494 for jails in the West, 1,350 for jails in the Midwest, and 765 for those in the Northeast (table 3). Demographic characteristics of local jail inmates who died by suicide During 2000-19, 90% of local jails inmates who died by suicide were male (table 4). Te number of deaths by suicide among female local jail inmates increased from 124 to 204 deaths between the periods of 2000-04 and 2015-19, rising almost 65%. Seventy-four percent of local jail inmates who died by suicide during 2015-19 were white, while almost 12% were Hispanic and 11% were black. During 2000-19, American Indians and Alaska Natives accounted for 2% (120 deaths) and Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Other Pacifc Islanders accounted for about 1% (74) of suicides in local jails. Sixty percent of inmates who died by suicide in local jails during 2000-19 were ages 25 to 44. FIGURE 2 Rate of suicides per 100,000 inmates in local jails and 100,000 prisoners in state and federal prisons, 2000–2019 Rate of suicides per 100,000 inmates/prisoners 60 Local jailsa 50 40 State prisonsb 30 20 10 0 Federal prisonsc 2000 2005 2010 2015 2019 Note: Jail rates exclude and state prison rates include deaths in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. See table 1 for rates. aBased on the annual number of suicides and the average daily population (ADP) in local jails. In 2000, the ADP was estimated by taking the average of January 1 and December 31 inmate population counts. bBased on the annual number of suicides and the December 31 custody population in state prisons. Includes deaths and populations in publicly and privately operated state facilities. cBased on the annual number of suicides and the December 31 custody population in federal prisons. Includes deaths and populations in Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities and excludes deaths and populations in privately operated federal facilities. See Methodology. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Federal Law Enforcement Agency Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, 2015–2019; Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000–2019; and National Prisoner Statistics program, 2001–2019. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 2 ■ Among jail inmates who died by suicide, the percentage who were age 55 or older increased from 3% during 2000-04 to 9% during 2015-19. FIGURE 3 Percent of suicides in local jails, by time served between admission and death, 2000–04 and 2015–19 Te average suicide rate during 2000-19 for white inmates was 86 per 100,000, more than 5 times the rate for black inmates (16 per 100,000) and almost 3.5 times the rate for Hispanic inmates (25 per 100,000) (table 5). Percent of suicides 35 Te average suicide rate for local jail inmates age 24 or younger was highest during 2000-04 (36 per 100,000) and lowest during 2015-19 (20 per 100,000). At 78 deaths per 100,000, local jail inmates age 55 or older had the highest average suicide rate among all age groups during 2000-19. Criminal justice characteristics of local jail inmates who died by suicide Unconvicted inmates accounted for almost 77% of those who died by suicide in local jails during 2000-19 (table 6). Inmates held for a violent ofense accounted for the largest portion of suicides in local jails during the 20-year period and in each of its intervening 5-year periods. During 2015-19, about 18% of suicides in local jails were of persons held for assault, and almost 10% were of those held for murder or nonnegligent manslaughter. 30 ■ 2000–04 2015–19 25 20 15 10 5 0 Less than 1 day 2–7 8–30 31–60 61–120 121–180 More 1 day days days days days days than 6 mos. Time served in jail on current admission Note: Excludes deaths in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and missing data. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. See table 6 for percentages. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000–19. Jail inmates who had spent more than 6 months in custody made up 10% of suicides in 2015-19. Suicides in local jails were less common between 6 a.m. and 12 p.m. than at other times of day (table 7). During 2010-19, almost 73% of jail suicides occurred in the person’s cell and 8% occurred in jail segregation units. Local jail inmates held for property or public order ofenses during 2000-19 each accounted for about 19% of suicides, while those in jail for drug ofenses accounted for 10%. During 2010-19, almost 14% of inmates who died by suicide had at least one overnight stay in a mental health services unit since entering jail. During 2010-19, about 92% of jail suicides were of persons held for local law enforcement agencies or courts, 6% for state or federal prisons or other authorities, 2% for the U.S. Marshals Service, and 1% for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Characteristics of jail facilities with suicides in 2019 Circumstances of suicide deaths in local jails Twelve percent of jail facilities operated by a private company reported at least one suicide in 2019, compared to 11% for regional jails, 9% for jails operated by counties, and almost 7% for city-operated jails. Two-thirds (66%) of local jail suicides during 2015-19 occurred within the frst 30 days of incarceration, and 44% occurred within the frst week (fgure 3). Te percentage of jail suicides that occurred in the frst 24 hours decreased between the periods of 2000-04 (22%) and 2015-19 (12%). In 2019, a total of 282 local jail facilities, representing 278 jail jurisdictions, reported at least one suicide (tables 8 and 9). Among jail facilities that reported work or prerelease as one of their jail functions in 2019, 91% did not have a death by suicide during that year. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 3 ■ Te median rated capacity of jails that had two or more suicides in 2019 was 1,296 beds, compared to a median capacity of 305 beds in jails with one suicide and 110 beds in jails with no suicides. Demographic characteristics of state prisoners who died by suicide Almost 13% of jails operating above 100% capacity at midyear 2019 had a suicide during the calendar year, compared to about 8% of jails operating at 100% capacity or less. During 2015-19, 57% of persons in state prison who committed suicide were white, almost 24% were black, and almost 15% were Hispanic. More than half of all jail jurisdictions with an average daily population (ADP) of 1,000 or more inmates in 2019 had at least one suicide that year, and more than 35% of these jurisdictions reported two or more suicides. Eleven percent of jail jurisdictions that held 50% or more of their inmates for felonies in 2019 had a death by suicide that year. In jail jurisdictions reporting multiple deaths by suicide in 2019, the ratio of inmates to correctional staf was 4.6, compared to 4.4 for jurisdictions with one suicide and 3.8 for jurisdictions with no suicides. Almost 95% of all persons in state prison who died by suicide during 2001-19 were male (table 12). State prisoners who were Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Other Pacifc Islander and those who were American Indian and Alaska Native each accounted for less than 2% of suicides during 2015-19. Among state prisoners who died of suicide, the portion who were age 24 or younger decreased from almost 17% during the 4-year period of 2001-04 to 10% during the 5-year period of 2015-19. In state prisons, the suicide rate increased 49% between the 4-year period of 2001-04 and 5-year period of 2015-19 (table 13). Suicides in state prisons Asian state prisoners had average suicide rates during 2015-19 that were double those of black or Hispanic state prisoners. From 2001 to 2019, the number of suicides in state prisons increased 85% from 168 to 311, while total deaths from all causes in these facilities grew more than 34% (table 1). With the exception of state prisoners age 24 or younger (15 per 100,000), the average suicide rates among all age groups during 2001-19 were between 17 and 19 per 100,000. Te number of prisoner suicides in states in the South nearly doubled between 2010-14 (343) and 2015-19 (631) (table 10). Criminal justice characteristics of state prisoners who died by suicide Te number of prisoners who died by suicide between 2010-14 and 2015-19 tripled in three states (Arkansas, Georgia, and West Virginia) and more than doubled in fve states (Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee). Te average annual suicide rate grew from 15 per 100,000 state prisoners to 21 per 100,000 between the 4-year period of 2001-04 and the 5 year period of 2015-2019 (table 11). Over the 19 years of data collection on deaths in state prisons, the Northeast (22 per 100,000) had the highest average annual suicide rate, compared to the West (21 per 100,000), Midwest (16 per 100,000), and South (15 per 100,000). Tirty percent of suicides during 2001-19 were of prisoners serving time for murder or nonnegligent manslaughter (table 14). Prisoners serving sentences for a drug ofense accounted for 8% of suicides during the 4-year period of 2001-04 and 4% during the 5-year period of 2015-19. Almost 70% of suicides in state prisons were of prisoners who served more than 1 year under state correctional authority. Persons who served more than 10 years in state prison accounted for 13% of suicides in these facilities during 2001-04 and almost 25% during 2015-19 (fgure 4). Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 4 ■ Circumstances of suicide deaths in state prisons As in local jails, the majority of suicides in state prisons during 2010-19 were by sufocation, including hanging and self-strangulation (table 15). During 2015-19, almost 76% of suicides of persons in state prison took place in the person’s cell or room, 11% in a segregation unit, and 4% in a special medical or mental health services unit. About 15% of persons in state prison who died by suicide during 2010-19 had spent at least one night in a mental health facility afer admission to prison, while 51% had not, with this characteristic unknown for 32%. Suicides in federal prisons Suicides in federal prisons increased 61%, from 18 in 2001 to 29 in 2019. FIGURE 4 Percent of suicides in state and federal prisons, by time served between admission and death, 2001–04 and 2015–19 Percent of suicides 35 a ■ State, 2001–04a 30 ■ State, 2015–19 b 25 Federal, 2015–19 20 15 10 5 0 1 week 1.1 weeks– 1.1–6 6.1 months– 1.1–5 5.1–10 10.1 years or less 1 month months 1 year years years or more Time served in prison on current sentence During 2015-19, males accounted for 98% of suicides among persons in federal prison, and whites accounted for 59% (table 16). Note: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and missing data. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. See tables 14 and 18 for percentages. aIncludes deaths in publicly and privately operated state facilities and in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. bIncludes deaths in Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities and excludes deaths in privately operated federal facilities. As of December 30, 2001, sentenced felons from the District of Columbia were the responsibility of the BOP. See Methodology. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Federal Law Enforcement Agency Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, 2015–2019; and Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2001–2019. During 2015-19, white prisoners were 8.5 times as likely as Hispanic prisoners and 5 times as likely as black prisoners to die by suicide in federal prisons on average. In 2019, about 19% of state, 17% of federal, and 12% of privately operated prison facilities under contract to both state and federal authorities experienced one or more suicides. From 2015-19, 13% of federal prisoners who died by suicide had been sentenced for drug ofenses (table 18). Almost 13% of the 979 prison facilities whose main function was general housing of adult prisoners reported a single suicide event during 2019, and another 6% reported two or more suicides. Federal prisons had an average suicide rate of 16 per 100,000 prisoners during 2015-19 (table 17). Demographic and criminal justice characteristics of federal prisoners who died by suicide Almost two-thirds (64%) of federal prisoners who died by suicide during 2015-19 had served more than 1 year of their sentence. Death by sufocation accounted for about 81% of all suicides in federal prisons during 2015-19 (table 19). Characteristics of state and federal prison facilities with suicides in 2019 Suicides were recorded in 217 state or federal prison facilities in 2019, with 71 of those facilities having multiple suicides (table 20). Te median capacity of prisons that had two or more suicides in 2019 was 1,738 beds, compared to 1,365 beds for facilities reporting one suicide and 927 beds for those with no suicides. Eighty-four percent of prisons operating at 100% capacity or less on June 30, 2019, and 77% of facilities operating above 100% capacity, experienced no suicides in the calendar year. State and federal prisons holding 2,500 or more prisoners were more likely to report one or more Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 5 ■ suicides (45% of these facilities) than prisons with smaller populations (table 21). Tirty-fve percent of prison facilities whose security level was administrative, maximum, or super maximum had at least one suicide in 2019, compared to 15% of medium security and 4% of minimum security prisons. State and federal prisons reporting two or more suicides in 2019 held 11% of prisoners in restricted housing status, while facilities with no suicides held approximately 5% in restricted housing. Prisons reporting zero suicides in 2019 had a larger percentage of staf assigned to security duties (73%) than facilities with one suicide or two or more suicides (68% each). Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 6 ■ Terms and defnitions Average daily population—The number of inmates in jail each day for a year, divided by the number of days in the year. transfer inmates to federal, state, or other authorities house inmates for federal, state, or other authorities Capacity, design—The number of inmates or prisoners a facility can hold, as set by the architect or planner. operate community-based programs as alternatives Capacity, rated—The number of inmates, prisoners, or beds a facility can hold, as set by a rating official. Custody count—Inmates held in the physical custody of local jails, or prisoners held in the physical custody of state or federal prisons, regardless of sentence length or which authority has jurisdiction over the person. Federal prison—The system that houses persons under the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which holds adult prisoners in secure federal prison facilities, nonsecure community corrections facilities, and privately operated facilities, and holds persons age 17 or younger in privately operated facilities. Jail—A confinement facility generally operated under the authority of a sheriff, police chief, or county or city administrator. A small number of jails are privately operated. Regional jails include two or more jail jurisdictions with a formal agreement to operate a jail facility. Facilities include jails, detention centers, county or city correctional centers, special jail facilities (such as medical or treatment centers and prerelease centers), and temporary holding or lockup facilities that are part of a facility’s combined function. Jails are intended for adults but can hold juveniles before or after their cases are adjudicated. Jails— hold inmates sentenced to jail facilities who usually have a sentence of 1 year or less receive individuals pending arraignment and hold them as they await trial, conviction, or sentencing readmit probation, parole, and bail bond violators and absconders detain juveniles pending their transfer to juvenile authorities hold mentally ill persons pending their movement to appropriate mental health facilities hold individuals for the military, for protective custody, as witnesses for courts, and for contempt of court release convicted inmates to the community on completion of sentence due to crowding of their facilities to incarceration. Jail jurisdiction—A county (parish in Louisiana) or municipal government that administers one or more local jails and represents the entity responsible for managing jail facilities under its authority. Jail reporting unit—Most jail jurisdictions consist of a single facility, but some have multiple facilities, or multiple facility operators, called reporting units. For example, a single jail jurisdiction may have legal authority over five jail facilities, with four managed by a single operator and one managed by a different operator (i.e., one jail jurisdiction with two reporting units and five jail facilities). Prison—A long-term confinement facility that is run by a state or the federal government and typically holds felons, or offenders with sentences of more than 1 year imposed by state or federal courts. Sentence length may vary by state. Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont each operate an integrated system that combines prisons and jails, and all of their inmates are counted in this report as prisoners. Prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional officials can be held in publicly or privately operated secure or nonsecure facilities, including state or federal prisons, boot camps, halfway houses, treatment facilities, hospitals, local jails, or another state’s facilities. Prison jurisdiction—The legal authority of state or federal correctional officials over a prisoner, regardless of where the prisoner is held. Suicide—A self-inflicted death by— suffocation, including hanging, strangulation, asphyxia, anoxia, and other methods of reducing oxygen intake exsanguination, including all types of sharp force trauma or other injuries that cause acute loss of blood poisoning, including drug overdoses firearm other methods, including self-inflicted blunt force trauma, dehydration, and unknown or unreported causes. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 7 ■ List of tables TabLE 1. Total deaths and number and rate of suicides in local jails and state and federal prisons, 2000–2019 TabLE 2. Aggregated number of suicides in local jails, by state and region, 2000–19 TabLE 3. Average rate of suicides per 100,000 inmates in local jails, by state and region, 2000–19 TabLE 4. Percent of suicides in local jails, by demographic characteristics of inmates, 2000–19 TabLE 5. Average rate of suicides per 100,000 inmates in local jails, by demographic characteristics of inmates, 2000–19 TabLE 6. Percent of suicides in local jails, by criminal justice characteristics of inmates, 2000–19 TabLE 7. Percent of suicides in local jails, by circumstances of death, 2000–19 TabLE 8. Percent of local jails, by number of suicides and facility characteristics, 2019 TabLE 9. Percent of local jail jurisdictions, by number of suicides and population characteristics, 2019 TabLE 10. Aggregated number of suicides in state and federal prisons, by state and region, 2001–19 TabLE 11. Average rate of suicides per 100,000 prisoners in state and federal prisons, by state and region, 2001–19 TabLE 12. Percent of suicides in state prisons, by demographic characteristics of prisoners, 2001–19 TabLE 13. Average rate of suicides per 100,000 prisoners in state prisons, by demographic characteristics of prisoners, 2001–19 TabLE 14. Percent of suicides in state prisons, by criminal justice characteristics of prisoners, 2001–19 TabLE 15. Percent of suicides in state prisons, by circumstances of death, 2001–19 TabLE 16. Percent of suicides in federal prisons, by demographic characteristics of prisoners, 2015–19 TabLE 17. Average rate of suicides per 100,000 prisoners in federal prisons, by demographic characteristics of prisoners, 2015–19 TabLE 18. Percent of suicides in federal prisons, by criminal justice characteristics of prisoners, 2015–19 TabLE 19. Percent of suicides in federal prisons, by circumstances of death, 2015–19 TabLE 20. Percent of state and federal prisons, by number of suicides and facility characteristics, 2019 TabLE 21. Percent of state and federal prisons, by number of suicides and population characteristics, 2019 Continued on next page Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 8 ■ List of figures FIGURE 1. Number of suicides in local jails and state and federal prisons, 2000–2019 FIGURE 2. Rate of suicides per 100,000 inmates in local jails and 100,000 prisoners in state and federal prisons, 2000–2019 FIGURE 3. Percent of suicides in local jails, by time served between admission and death, 2000–04 and 2015–19 FIGURE 4. Percent of suicides in state and federal prisons, by time served between admission and death, 2001–04 and 2015–19 List of appendix tables aPPEndIx TabLE 1. Number of correctional facilities, by type and operator, 2019 Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 9 ■ TabLE 1 Total deaths and number and rate of suicides in local jails and state and federal prisons, 2000–2019 Local jails Total deaths Suicides Suicide rate per 100,000 local jail inmatesa State prisons Total deaths Suicides Suicide rate per 100,000 state prisonersb Federal prisonsc Total deaths Suicides Suicide rate per 100,000 federal prisonersb 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 903 289 48 942 313 49 969 314 47 / 2,869 2,935 / 168 168 : 14 14 / / : 301 18 13 335 17 12 1,001 1,021 1,045 1,094 1,099 296 299 286 278 283 43 42 39 36 36 987 328 46 1,053 1,096 1,076 1,103 1,138 1,200 368 369 334 317 339 355 50 52 47 43 46 49 3,152 3,123 3,168 3,233 3,389 3,452 3,417 3,233 3,351 3,357 3,478 199 199 213 219 215 197 202 215 185 205 192 16 16 17 17 16 15 15 16 14 16 15 3,484 3,708 3,734 3,954 4,137 3,848 249 219 254 261 312 311 20 18 21 22 26 27 346 6 4 333 11 7 388 13 8 328 12 7 368 18 11 959 228 29 399 21 13 961 304 41 376 21 12 918 305 42 387 11 6 888 311 43 387 17 10 960 301 40 350 19 11 400 14 8 444 24 14 455 20 12 388 18 12 381 24 16 378 29 19 381 29 20 Note: Jail counts exclude and state prison counts include deaths in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. :Not calculated. /Not collected. aBased on the annual number of suicides and the average daily population (ADP) in local jails. In 2000, the ADP was estimated by taking the average of January 1 and December 31 inmate population counts. bBased on the annual number of suicides and the December 31 custody population in state or federal prisons. cIncludes deaths in Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities and excludes deaths in privately operated federal facilities. From 2001 to 2014, the BOP provided an aggregate count of deaths in BOP-operated facilities, by cause of death. From 2015 to 2019, the BOP provided individual-level death records from both BOP- and privately operated federal facilities. To allow for comparability over time, nine deaths in private federal prisons in 2015, seven in 2016, seven in 2017, five in 2018, and nine in 2019 were excluded. Among these deaths, one suicide was in 2015, one in 2016, and none in 2017, 2018, and 2019. As of December 30, 2001, sentenced felons from the District of Columbia were the responsibility of the BOP. See Methodology. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Federal Law Enforcement Agency Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, 2015–2019; Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000–2019; and National Prisoner Statistics program, 2001–2019. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000-2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 10 ■ TabLE 2 Aggregated number of suicides in local jails, by state and region, 2000–19 U.S. total Northeast Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Midwest Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Michigan Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota Ohio South Dakota Wisconsin South Alabama Arkansas District of Columbia Florida Georgia Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Mississippi North Carolina Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia West Virginia West Arizona California Colorado Idaho Montana Nevada New Mexico Oregon Utah Washington Wyoming 2000–04 1,511 194 7 14 8 26 55 84 316 43 29 9 39 44 21 36 15 4 52 4 20 654 40 34 1 63 75 21 25 33 28 41 28 16 38 135 66 10 347 29 156 35 6 11 27 23 15 21 17 7 2005–09 1,379 171 6 18 8 30 42 67 288 42 31 12 23 40 12 36 10 5 51 5 21 598 34 16 4 82 68 21 30 37 33 31 28 17 48 94 53 2 322 26 132 45 12 10 13 12 10 25 33 4 2010–14 1,613 199 8 22 7 33 53 76 356 42 45 13 23 50 17 52 8 5 65 3 33 655 36 26 5 94 66 23 28 36 27 41 25 29 41 114 51 13 403 25 167 28 16 18 19 28 16 32 48 6 2015–19 1,714 201 6 26 10 27 34 98 390 42 49 12 28 38 30 51 12 4 76 7 41 701 37 20 5 94 73 15 34 38 29 62 32 26 59 105 57 15 422 39 160 59 8 10 25 18 22 31 42 8 2000–19 6,217 765 27 80 33 116 184 325 1,350 169 154 46 113 172 80 175 45 18 244 19 115 2,608 147 96 15 333 282 80 117 144 117 175 113 88 186 448 227 40 1,494 119 615 167 42 49 84 81 63 109 140 25 Note: For details on regions, see U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). Census regions and divisions of the United States. https:// www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf. Excludes deaths in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000–19. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 11 ■ TabLE 3 Average rate of suicides per 100,000 inmates in local jails, by state and region, 2000–19 U.S. total Northeast Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Midwest Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Michigan Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota Ohio South Dakota Wisconsin South Alabama Arkansas District of Columbia Florida Georgia Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Mississippi North Carolina Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia West Virginia West Arizona California Colorado Idaho Montana Nevada New Mexico Oregon Utah 2000–04 46 42 96 ! 24 114 ! 32 37 54 56 43 38 52 ! 125 53 70 82 122 108 ! 57 62 ! 29 41 62 116 8! 24 40 28 19 56 55 57 71 30 35 46 57 62 49 44 42 65 39 ! 123 88 67 44 71 2005–09 36 33 74 ! 27 80 ! 33 27 36 45 38 35 59 62 44 33 65 66 106 ! 51 64 ! 29 32 45 47 27 ! 26 30 24 21 56 60 34 53 26 36 29 37 10 ! 40 33 32 67 61 108 37 27 29 74 2010–14 44 42 131 ! 43 67 ! 42 38 41 58 40 53 63 63 59 52 90 46 ! 87 ! 71 36 ! 50 36 50 71 39 ! 34 31 25 18 60 47 44 51 49 34 35 35 62 53 36 43 46 88 179 54 66 51 90 2015–19 48 50 82 ! 53 118 ! 48 31 58 63 48 52 51 73 47 85 84 62 54 ! 78 71 ! 63 38 49 46 53 ! 35 36 13 23 82 43 64 55 46 41 31 41 64 56 59 42 93 39 ! 79 70 51 70 85 2000–19 43 41 94 36 91 38 33 47 55 42 44 56 79 51 60 80 70 83 64 58 42 37 51 67 30 29 34 21 20 62 51 49 57 38 37 35 42 49 49 42 40 68 57 120 61 52 48 80 Continued on next page Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 12 ■ TabLE 3 (continued) Average rate of suicides per 100,000 inmates in local jails, by state and region, 2000–19 Washington Wyoming 2000–04 30 115 ! 2005–09 50 50 ! 2010–14 79 77 ! 2015–19 70 109 ! 2000–19 57 86 Note: For details on regions, see U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). Census regions and divisions of the United States. https:// www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf. Rates are based on the annual number of suicides and the average daily population (ADP) in local jails. In 2000, the ADP was estimated by taking the average of January 1 and December 31 inmate population counts. Excludes deaths and populations in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. ! Interpret with caution. Estimate is based on 10 or fewer cases. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000–19. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 13 ■ TabLE 4 Percent of suicides in local jails, by demographic characteristics of inmates, 2000–19 Inmate characteristic Total suicides Sex Male Female Race/ethnicity Whitea Blacka Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Nativea Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islandera Othera,b Age 24 or younger 25–34 35–44 45–54 55 or older 2000–04 1,511 100% 91.7 8.2 100% 70.5 14.1 12.2 1.6 2005–09 1,379 100% 92.2 7.8 100% 69.2 15.0 11.0 2.6 2010–14 1,613 100% 90.5 9.5 100% 71.5 13.0 11.8 2.0 2015–19 1,714 100% 88.1 11.9 100% 74.0 11.3 11.5 1.6 2000–19 6,217 100% 90.5 9.5 100% 71.4 13.2 11.6 1.9 1.3 0.1 100% 22.9 31.2 30.1 12.3 3.3 1.4 0.3 100% 19.6 28.8 30.0 16.5 4.9 0.9 0.6 100% 16.0 32.8 26.2 17.6 7.3 1.2 0.2 100% 11.0 32.9 28.6 18.4 9.0 1.2 0.3 100% 17.1 31.5 28.6 16.3 6.3 Note: Excludes deaths in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and missing data. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks). bIncludes persons of two or more races or other unspecified races. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000–19. TabLE 5 Average rate of suicides per 100,000 inmates in local jails, by demographic characteristics of inmates, 2000–19 Inmate characteristic Total Sex Male Female Race/ethnicity Whitea Blacka Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Nativea Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islandera Othera,b Age 24 or younger 25–34 35–44 45–54 55 or older 2000–04 46 2005–09 36 2010–14 44 2015–19 48 2000–19 43 48 32 38 22 46 32 49 38 45 31 90 16 30 56 70 15 21 72 91 18 24 54 93 18 26 47 86 16 25 57 52 1! 48 2! 43 3! 63 1! 52 2 36 44 53 53 65 25 33 46 45 55 27 43 55 56 80 20 45 65 62 103 27 41 54 54 78 Note: Rates are based on the annual number of suicides and the average daily population (ADP) in local jails. In 2000, the ADP was estimated by taking the average of January 1 and December 31 inmate population counts. Excludes deaths in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. ! Interpret with caution. Estimate is based on 10 or fewer cases. aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks). bIncludes persons of two or more races or other unspecified races. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2000–19; Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000–19; National Inmate Survey, 2007–09 and 2011–12; and Survey of Inmates in Local Jails, 2002. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 14 ■ TabLE 6 Percent of suicides in local jails, by criminal justice characteristics of inmates, 2000–19 Inmate characteristic Total suicides Legal status Convicted Unconvicted Other/unknown Most serious ofensea Violent Murderb Kidnapping Rape/sexual assault Robbery Assault Other Property Burglary Larceny/theft Motor vehicle theft Arson Fraud Drugs Possession Trafficking Other/unknown Public order Weapons offense Obstruction of justice DUI/DWI Traffic offense excluding DUI/DWI Probation/parole violation and escape Other Other offenses/unreported Time served in jail on current admission Less than 1 day 1 day 2–7 days 8–30 days 31–60 days 61–120 days 121–180 days More than 6 months Hold statusc Local law enforcement/court U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement U.S. Marshals Service Other authorityd 2000–04 1,511 100% 18.3 72.7 9.0 100% 47.8 12.0 3.6 8.9 5.2 13.9 4.2 18.6 6.2 7.4 1.3 0.7 3.1 10.9 5.8 3.7 1.4 20.1 1.4 3.3 2.3 2.7 6.5 3.9 2.7 100% 12.2 9.6 25.7 16.9 10.1 9.2 5.1 9.9 / / / / / 2005–09 1,379 100% 16.8 75.0 8.3 100% 47.6 10.8 3.1 8.9 5.6 17.0 2.4 18.4 6.6 7.6 0.8 0.8 2.5 8.3 3.8 2.5 2.0 20.4 0.9 3.9 2.8 2.3 6.6 4.0 5.3 100% 9.5 9.4 28.7 14.9 10.5 11.9 5.0 9.4 / / / / / 2010–14 1,613 100% 16.9 79.3 3.8 100% 49.5 10.0 4.1 9.1 5.4 18.4 2.5 19.1 6.1 9.1 0.9 0.7 2.2 9.7 4.5 3.1 2.2 17.9 1.1 3.5 2.2 1.7 6.0 3.5 3.7 100% 7.3 10.0 30.1 19.7 8.4 10.0 3.7 10.6 100% 94.5 0.8 1.4 3.4 2015–19 1,714 100% 19.2 79.2 1.6 100% 46.9 9.7 3.3 8.8 4.0 18.1 3.1 18.1 5.4 7.6 1.3 0.5 3.4 11.9 6.2 4.0 1.8 19.2 1.1 5.4 1.8 1.2 6.9 2.7 3.9 100% 5.1 6.8 31.9 22.4 9.0 9.9 4.8 9.9 100% 88.9 0.8 2.5 7.8 2000–19 6,217 100% 17.8 76.7 5.5 100% 48.0 10.6 3.5 8.9 5.0 16.9 3.1 18.6 6.1 7.9 1.1 0.7 2.8 10.3 5.1 3.4 1.8 19.3 1.1 4.1 2.2 1.9 6.5 3.5 3.9 100% 8.4 8.9 29.2 18.7 9.5 10.2 4.6 10.0 100% 91.6 0.8 2.0 5.7 Note: Excludes deaths in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and missing data. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. /Not collected. aRefers to the most serious offense for which the individual is being held in jail, where violent offenses are most serious, followed by property, drug, public order, and all other offenses. bIncludes nonnegligent manslaughter. cIncludes contractual, temporary, courtesy, or ad hoc holds for federal, local, or state authorities. A jail inmate may have multiple hold statuses. The 2000–19 category reflects 2010–19 percentages because these data were first collected in 2010. dIncludes state or federal prison, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or any other jail jurisdiction. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000–19. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 15 ■ TabLE 7 Percent of suicides in local jails, by circumstances of death, 2000–19 Circumstance of death Total suicides Time of death Morning (6 a.m.–12 p.m.) Afternoon (12 p.m.–6 p.m.) Evening (6 p.m.–12 a.m.) Overnight (12 a.m.–6 a.m.) Method of suicide Suffocationa Exsanguinationb Poisoningc Firearm Otherd Location of suicide evente Inmate's cell/room Temporary housing Common area within jail facilityf Segregation unit Special medical unit/infirmary Special mental health services unit Elsewhere within jail facility Outside of jail facility Other Inmate had an overnight stay in a mental health facility after jail admission Yes No Unknown 2000–04 1,511 100% 18.9 25.0 27.0 27.2 / / / / / / 100% 79.4 9.1 4.0 / / / / 1.1 5.2 2005–09 1,379 100% 20.5 26.9 26.3 23.7 / / / / / / 100% 80.1 8.6 4.2 / / / / 0.6 5.2 2010–14 1,613 100% 20.8 28.8 27.8 21.6 100% 85.6 1.4 2.1 0.7 10.2 100% 72.5 6.1 4.2 8.1 3.3 1.0 1.7 0.6 1.9 2015–19 1,714 100% 18.8 31.3 26.4 22.2 100% 91.4 1.2 0.9 0.3 6.2 100% 72.6 5.5 4.5 8.1 3.0 1.3 1.9 0.9 0.6 2000–19 6,217 100% 19.7 28.2 26.9 23.6 100% 88.6 1.3 1.5 0.5 8.2 100% 72.5 5.8 4.3 8.1 3.2 1.1 1.8 0.8 1.3 / / / / / / / / 100% 14.3 71.4 14.1 100% 13.6 72.2 14.1 100% 13.9 71.8 14.1 Note: Excludes deaths in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and missing data. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. The 2000–19 category reflects 2010–19 percentages because data were first collected in 2010. See Methodology. /Not collected. aIncludes hanging, strangulation, asphyxia, anoxia, and other methods of reducing oxygen intake. bIncludes all types of sharp force trauma or other injuries that cause acute loss of blood. cIncludes drug overdoses and ingestion or use of other poisonous substances. dIncludes self-inflicted blunt force trauma, dehydration, and unknown or unreported causes. eLocation where inmate attempted to commit suicide. May not reflect actual location of death. fIncludes temporary holding areas or lockups and common areas within the facility, such as jail yards, cafeterias, or kitchens. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000–19. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 16 ■ TabLE 8 Percent of local jails, by number of suicides and facility characteristics, 2019 Facility characteristic Total Jail operator County City Regional Private Inmate sex Both male and female Female only Male only Jail purposea Temporary holding place for detainment of up to 72 hours Detention facility with authority to hold for more than 72 hours Correctional facility for felons with sentences of more than 1 year Jail functionb General adult confinement Confinement of persons returned to custody Work release/prerelease Reception/diagnosis/classification Juvenile confinement Medical treatment/hospitalization Mental health/psychiatric care Alcohol treatment Drug treatment Boot camp Protective custody Capacityb Jail facilities operating at 100% capacity or less Jail facilities operating at more than 100% capacity Median rated capacity Mean rated capacity Number of jail facilities 3,116 Total 3,116 No suicides 2,834 2,693 310 79 34 100% 100% 100% 100% 90.8% 93.1 89.3 87.7 7.4% 5.3 10.7 3.4 1.8% 1.7 0.0 8.9 2,763 10 276 100% 100% 100% 90.5% 90.5 95.0 7.7% 9.6 3.9 1.9% 0.0 1.1 1,659 100% 91.3% 7.0% 1.8% 2,864 100% 90.7 7.4 1.9 1,027 100% 88.2 9.3 2.5 3,032 100% 90.8% 7.4% 1.8% 2,897 1,603 1,627 339 655 794 472 513 9 1,152 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 90.5 91.4 88.5 83.5 83.1 83.8 85.4 84.9 77.8 86.4 2,646 100% 91.5% 6.9% 470 100% 87.3 110 beds 244.4 9.5 305 beds 561.5 1 suicide 226 7.6 6.8 8.8 10.5 11.9 11.6 10.3 11.0 0.0 10.3 2 or more suicides 56 1.9 1.8 2.7 6.0 5.0 4.5 4.2 4.1 22.2 3.3 1.6% 3.2 1,296 beds 1,540.4 Note: See Terms and defnitions for the distinctions between jail jurisdictions, jail reporting units, and jail facilities. Includes jails with a suicide in their facilities, single-jail jurisdictions with a suicide whose location of death was at an outside medical facility or hospital, and multiple-jail jurisdictions with a suicide whose location of death was outside the facility but whose death record specified a facility associated with that death. Excludes one facility and seven jurisdictions for which the suicide could not be linked to a specific jail facility in the 2019 Census of Local Jails. Excludes deaths in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and missing data. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. aJail facilities can have multiple purposes and functions. bAs of midyear (last weekday in June). Facilities operating above 100% capacity held more inmates than their rated or design capacity. See Terms and defnitions. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Local Jails, 2019; and Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2019. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 17 ■ TabLE 9 Percent of local jail jurisdictions, by number of suicides and population characteristics, 2019 Population characteristic Total Average daily population 49 or fewer inmates 50–99 100–249 250–499 500–999 1,000–2,499 2,500 or more Felony status 50% or more are felons Less than 50% are felons Conviction status 50% or more are unconvicted Less than 50% are unconvicted Inmates per correctional staf member Inmates per any staf member Annual admissions per inmate in custody on June 30, 2019* Number of jail jurisdictions 2,845 Total 2,845 No suicides 2,566 1 suicide 217 2 or more suicides 61 1,002 514 643 348 202 113 23 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 97.2% 95.0 91.3 84.4 77.6 49.1 46.1 2.8% 4.8 7.5 13.2 19.7 23.1 18.1 <0.1% 0.2 1.1 1.2 2.7 27.8 35.8 2,026 819 100% 100% 89.5% 92.0 8.0% 6.9 2.6% 1.1 2,105 740 100% 100% 89.2% 93.0 3.8 inmates 3.0 inmates 8.3% 5.9 4.4 inmates 3.4 inmates 2.5% 1.1 4.6 inmates 3.6 inmates 15 admissions 14 admissions 11 admissions Note: See Terms and defnitions for the distinctions between jail jurisdictions, jail reporting units, and jail facilities. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and missing data. Excludes deaths in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. *Includes persons officially booked into jail facilities by a formal legal document and the authority of the courts or some other official agency, repeat offenders booked on new charges, and persons serving weekend sentences when they come into jail for the first weekend. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Local Jails, 2019; and Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2019. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 18 ■ TabLE 10 Aggregated number of suicides in state and federal prisons, by state and region, 2001–19 U.S. total Federal State total Northeast Connecticut Delaware Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Rhode Island Vermont Midwest Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Michigan Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota Ohio South Dakota Wisconsin South Alabama Arkansas Florida Georgia Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Mississippi North Carolina Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia West Virginia West Alaska Arizona California Colorado Hawaii Idaho Montana 2001–04 786 52 734 124 22 6 1 4 7 10 43 19 7 5 162 32 14 10 9 26 7 10 1 1 24 5 23 232 4 11 19 22 4 3 19 8 12 6 7 8 91 15 3 216 6 16 114 13 8 8 5 2005–09 1,131 85 1,046 183 20 9 1 21 1 20 64 41 6 0 196 33 25 6 3 34 8 26 2 0 30 3 26 371 6 13 43 30 7 12 29 12 14 26 13 20 133 13 0 296 7 32 172 17 7 7 4 2010–14 1,131 85 1,046 194 18 10 1 22 3 16 71 43 8 2 202 37 18 9 6 48 7 16 10 0 35 5 11 343 10 8 39 19 6 11 16 10 11 30 20 14 133 14 2 307 9 40 162 23 7 11 5 2015–19 1,477 120 1,357 196 20 8 1 14 1 7 69 66 6 4 225 35 30 9 13 26 5 20 7 3 45 4 28 631 26 31 96 74 8 16 18 28 31 30 39 35 170 23 6 305 14 35 148 26 6 13 5 2001–19 4,525 342 4,183 697 80 33 4 61 12 53 247 169 27 11 785 137 87 34 31 134 27 72 20 4 134 17 88 1,577 46 63 197 145 25 42 82 58 68 92 79 77 527 65 11 1,124 36 123 596 79 28 39 19 Continued on next page Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 19 ■ TabLE 10 (continued) Aggregated number of suicides in state and federal prisons, by state and region, 2001–19 Nevada New Mexico Oregon Utah Washington Wyoming 2001–04 6 6 10 11 11 2 2005–09 11 9 11 10 8 1 2010–14 11 6 9 10 12 2 2015–19 12 8 7 10 17 4 2001–19 40 29 37 41 48 9 Note: For details on regions, see U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). Census regions and divisions of the United States. https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf. State counts include deaths in publicly and privately operated state facilities and in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Federal counts include deaths in Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities and exclude deaths in privately operated federal facilities. As of December 30, 2001, sentenced felons from the District of Columbia were the responsibility of the BOP. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Federal Law Enforcement Agency Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, 2015–19; Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2001–19; and National Prisoner Statistics program, 2001–14. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 20 ■ TabLE 11 Average rate of suicides per 100,000 prisoners in state and federal prisons, by state and region, 2001–19 U.S. total Federal State total Northeast Connecticut Delaware Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Rhode Island Vermont Midwest Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Michigan Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota Ohio South Dakota Wisconsin South Alabama Arkansas Florida Georgia Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Mississippi North Carolina Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia West Virginia West Alaska Arizona California Colorado Hawaii Idaho Montana 2001–04 14 8 15 18 30 22 ! 13 ! 10 ! 72 ! 10 ! 16 12 52 ! 80 ! 17 18 17 30 ! 25 ! 13 24 ! 8! 6! 23 ! 13 42 ! 27 11 4! 23 6 11 8 4 20 13 ! 9 7! 8! 11 ! 15 12 20 ! 19 33 ! 13 18 17 38 ! 36 ! 44 ! 2005–09 15 9 16 20 21 26 ! 10 ! 39 7! 16 21 18 33 ! 0 15 15 20 14 ! 7! 14 18 ! 17 9! 0 12 18 ! 23 13 5! 20 9 11 9 12 26 14 7 22 11 21 17 8 0 19 27 ! 17 20 15 26 ! 20 ! 27 ! 2010–14 15 8 16 23 21 30 ! 10 ! 40 23 ! 14 26 17 51 ! 20 ! 15 15 13 20 ! 13 ! 22 15 ! 10 41 ! 0 14 28 ! 10 12 7! 11 8 8 9 12 14 13 ! 6 24 18 14 17 9 7! 22 31 ! 20 23 22 26 ! 30 32 ! 2015–19 21 13 22 26 28 27 ! 9! 32 8! 7! 29 28 44 ! 49 ! 18 17 22 20 ! 27 13 11 ! 13 27 ! 36 ! 18 21 ! 24 24 23 39 20 31 13 20 18 41 17 22 40 34 23 15 20 ! 23 61 17 23 26 23 ! 34 29 ! 2001–19 16 9 18 22 25 27 10 ! 32 24 12 23 19 44 ! 31 ! 16 16 18 20 18 16 16 12 23 15 ! 14 26 21 15 10 24 11 15 10 12 20 20 10 20 19 21 18 11 12 21 38 17 21 20 28 30 32 Continued on next page Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 21 ■ TabLE 11 (continued) Average rate of suicides per 100,000 prisoners in state and federal prisons, by state and region, 2001–19 Nevada New Mexico Oregon Utah Washington Wyoming 2001–04 14 ! 25 ! 21 ! 62 17 31 ! 2005–09 17 28 ! 16 39 ! 9! 11 ! 2010–14 18 18 ! 13 ! 37 ! 14 18 ! 2015–19 18 23 ! 10 ! 41 ! 19 33 ! 2001–19 17 23 14 43 15 23 ! Note: For details on regions, see U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). Census regions and divisions of the United States. https:// www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf. Rates are based on the annual number of suicides and the December 31 custody population in state or federal prisons. State rates include deaths and populations in publicly and privately operated state facilities and in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Federal rates include deaths and populations in Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities and exclude deaths and populations in privately operated federal facilities. As of December 30, 2001, sentenced felons from the District of Columbia were the responsibility of the BOP. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. ! Interpret with caution. Estimate is based on 10 or fewer cases. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Federal Law Enforcement Agency Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, 2015–19; Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2001–19; and National Prisoner Statistics program, 2001–19. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 22 ■ TabLE 12 Percent of suicides in state prisons, by demographic characteristics of prisoners, 2001–19 Prisoner characteristic Total suicides Sex Male Female Race/ethnicity Whitea Blacka Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Nativea Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islandera Othera,b Age 24 or younger 25–34 35–44 45–54 55 or older 2001–04 734 100% 94.7 5.3 100% 57.4 23.2 15.0 1.2 2005–09 1,046 100% 95.5 4.5 100% 59.3 19.5 17.6 1.1 2010–14 1,046 100% 93.8 6.2 100% 60.1 18.7 15.6 2.3 2015–19 1,357 100% 95.1 4.9 100% 57.0 23.7 14.7 1.8 2001–19 4,183 100% 94.8 5.2 100% 58.4 21.3 15.7 1.7 2.2 0.7 100% 16.9 35.6 29.0 13.8 4.8 1.9 0.3 100% 13.6 31.7 29.9 18.4 6.4 2.6 0.2 100% 11.1 31.1 25.9 21.5 10.4 1.9 0.4 100% 10.5 31.0 29.7 17.5 11.2 2.1 0.4 100% 12.5 32.0 28.7 18.1 8.7 Note: Includes deaths in publicly and privately operated state facilities and in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and missing data. As of December 30, 2001, sentenced felons from the District of Columbia were the responsibility of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks). bIncludes persons of two or more races or other unspecified races. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2001–19. TabLE 13 Average rate of suicides per 100,000 prisoners in state prisons, by demographic characteristics of prisoners, 2001–19 Prisoner characteristic Total Sex Male Female Race/ethnicity Whitea Blacka Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Nativea Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islandera Othera,b Age 24 or younger 25–34 35–44 45–54 55 or older 2001–04 15 2005–09 16 2010–14 16 2015–19 22 2001–19 18 15 12 16 10 16 15 23 15 18 13 25 8 12 11 ! 28 8 15 11 30 9 13 28 41 16 15 29 31 10 14 19 33 3! 32 1! 40 <0.5 ! 36 1! 35 1! 14 16 15 15 16 14 7 18 27 48 13 15 17 19 19 23 21 25 22 20 15 17 18 18 19 Note: Rates are based on the annual number of suicides and the December 31 custody population in state prisons. Includes deaths and populations in publicly and privately operated state facilities and in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. As of December 30, 2001, sentenced felons from the District of Columbia were the responsibility of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. ! Interpret with caution. Estimate is based on 10 or fewer cases. aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks). bIncludes persons of two or more races or other unspecified races. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2001–19; and National Prisoner Statistics program, 2001–19. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 23 ■ TabLE 14 Percent of suicides in state prisons, by criminal justice characteristics of prisoners, 2001–19 Prisoner characteristic Total suicides Most serious ofensea Violent Murderb Kidnapping Rape/sexual assault Robbery Assault Other Property Burglary Larceny/theft Motor vehicle theft Arson Fraud Drugs Possession Trafficking Other/unknown Public order Weapons offense Obstruction of justice DUI/DWI Traffic offense excluding DUI/DWI Probation/parole violation and escape Other Other offenses/unknown Time served in prison on current sentence 1 week or less 1.1 weeks–1 month 1.1–6 months 6.1 months–1 year 1.1–5 years 5.1–10 years 10.1 years or more 2001–04 734 100% 69.1 26.3 3.5 15.0 11.0 11.2 2.0 16.9 9.1 3.4 1.2 0.8 2.3 8.5 2.7 4.8 1.0 4.0 1.2 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.4 0.5 1.6 100% 4.1 4.2 16.4 12.5 31.6 17.7 13.2 2005–09 1,046 100% 71.4 29.3 2.7 14.9 9.8 13.1 1.7 14.5 8.0 2.5 1.0 1.4 1.6 5.8 2.6 2.4 0.9 5.9 1.4 0.8 1.2 0.2 1.4 1.0 2.3 100% 3.6 4.8 13.6 10.7 29.3 18.3 19.5 2010–14 1,046 100% 74.3 32.9 3.0 14.3 11.5 11.5 1.2 15.0 7.9 3.4 0.8 1.4 1.5 4.3 2.2 1.4 0.7 4.7 1.7 0.7 0.7 0.1 0.6 1.0 1.7 100% 2.9 4.8 11.7 8.6 30.4 17.1 24.2 2015–19 1,357 100% 71.9 29.0 3.7 13.5 11.9 12.2 1.6 14.1 7.7 3.8 0.7 1.0 1.0 4.4 2.1 2.0 0.3 7.7 2.1 1.6 1.0 0.2 1.0 1.8 2.0 100% 3.2 3.7 10.8 7.0 32.0 18.3 24.6 2001–19 4,183 100% 71.9 29.6 3.2 14.3 11.1 12.1 1.6 14.9 8.1 3.3 0.9 1.2 1.5 5.4 2.3 2.4 0.7 5.9 1.7 1.0 0.9 0.2 0.9 1.2 1.9 100% 3.4 4.3 12.7 9.3 30.8 17.9 21.2 Note: Includes deaths in publicly and privately operated state facilities and in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. As of December 30, 2001, sentenced felons from the District of Columbia were the responsibility of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and missing data. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. aFor prisoners convicted of more than one crime, the most serious offense is the one that carries the longest sentence. bIncludes nonnegligent manslaughter. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2001–19. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 24 ■ TabLE 15 Percent of suicides in state prisons, by circumstances of death, 2001–19 Circumstance of death Total suicides Time of death Morning (6 a.m.–12 p.m.) Afternoon (12 p.m.–6 p.m.) Evening (6 p.m.–12 a.m.) Overnight (12 a.m.–6 a.m.) Method of suicide Suffocationa Exsanguinationb Poisoningc Firearm Otherd Location of suicide evente Prisoner's cell/room Special medical/mental health services unit Segregation unitf Elsewhere within prison facilityg Outside of prison facilityh Otheri Prisoner had an overnight stay in a mental health facility after prison admission Yes No Unknown 2001–04 734 100% 19.6 27.1 24.5 23.2 / / / / / / 100% 78.6 / / 7.1 1.9 4.5 2005–09 1,046 100% 22.8 27.9 25.3 20.6 / / / / / / 100% 79.9 / / 6.4 1.9 3.1 2010–14 1,046 100% 24.4 28.0 25.1 20.9 100% 86.4 3.6 4.6 0.2 4.9 100% 74.8 5.9 9.4 5.2 1.6 0.8 2015–19 1,357 100% 24.8 29.6 25.9 18.3 100% 88.2 3.9 3.5 0.0 4.0 100% 75.7 4.4 10.8 6.8 0.2 0.7 2001–19 4,183 100% 23.3 28.4 25.3 20.4 100% 87.4 3.8 4.0 0.1 4.4 100% 75.3 5.1 10.2 6.1 0.8 0.7 / / / / / / / / 100% 18.6 47.1 30.6 100% 12.4 54.6 32.4 100% 15.1 51.4 31.6 Note: Includes deaths in publicly and privately operated state facilities and in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. As of December 30, 2001, sentenced felons from the District of Columbia were the responsibility of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and missing data. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. The 2001–19 category reflects 2010–19 percentages because data were first collected in 2010. See Methodology. /Not collected. aIncludes hanging, strangulation, asphyxia, anoxia, and other methods of reducing oxygen intake. bIncludes all types of sharp force trauma or other injuries that cause acute loss of blood. cIncludes drug overdoses and ingestion or use of other poisonous substances. dIncludes self-inflicted blunt force trauma, dehydration, and unknown or unreported causes. eLocation where prisoner attempted to commit suicide. May not reflect actual location of death. fIncludes prisoners on death row. gIncludes temporary holding areas or lockups and common areas within the facility, such as prison yards, cafeterias, or kitchens. hIncludes community medical or mental health facilities not associated with the prison. iIncludes deaths that occurred while in transit to an external medical or mental health center. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2001–19. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 25 ■ TabLE 16 Percent of suicides in federal prisons, by demographic characteristics of prisoners, 2015–19 Prisoner characteristic Total suicides Sex Male Female Race/ethnicity Whitea Blacka Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Nativea Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islandera Othera,b Age 24 or younger 25–34 35–44 45–54 55 or older 2015–19 120 100% 98.3 1.7 100% 59.2 17.5 11.7 9.2 2.5 0.0 100% 2.5 20.0 35.8 25.8 15.8 Note: Includes deaths in Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities and excludes deaths in privately operated federal facilities. As of December 30, 2001, sentenced felons from the District of Columbia were the responsibility of the BOP. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and missing data. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks). bIncludes persons of two or more races or other unspecified races. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Federal Law Enforcement Agency Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, 2015–19. TabLE 17 Average rate of suicides per 100,000 prisoners in federal prisons, by demographic characteristics of prisoners, 2015–19 Prisoner characteristic Total Sex Male Female Race/ethnicity Whitea Blacka Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Nativea Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islandera Othera,b Age 24 or younger 25–34 35–44 45–54 55 or older 2015–19 16 17 4 43 9 5 77 26 ! 0 9! 11 16 19 21 Note: Rates are based on the annual number of suicides and the December 31 custody population in federal prisons. Includes deaths and populations in Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities and excludes deaths and populations in privately operated federal facilities. As of December 30, 2001, sentenced felons from the District of Columbia were the responsibility of the BOP. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. ! Interpret with caution. Estimate is based on 10 or fewer cases. aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks). bIncludes persons of two or more races or other unspecified races. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Federal Law Enforcement Agency Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, 2015–19; and National Prisoner Statistics program, 2015–19. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 26 ■ TabLE 18 Percent of suicides in federal prisons, by criminal justice characteristics of prisoners, 2015–19 TabLE 19 Percent of suicides in federal prisons, by circumstances of death, 2015–19 Prisoner characteristic Total suicides Most serious ofensea Homicide/aggravated assault Sex offense Robbery Drugs Burglary/larceny Fraud/bribery/extortion Weapons/explosives Immigration Court charge Time served in prison on current sentence 1 week or less 1.1 weeks–1 month 1.1–6 months 6.1 months–1 year 1.1–5 years 5.1–10 years 10.1 years or more Hold status Federal prison Other authorityb Circumstance of death Total suicides Time of deatha Morning (6 a.m.–12 p.m.) Afternoon (12 p.m.–6 p.m.) Evening (6 p.m.–12 a.m.) Overnight (12 a.m.–6 a.m.) Method of suicide Suffocationb Exsanguinationc Poisoningd Firearm Othere Location of deathf General housing within prison facility/on prison grounds Segregation unit Medical/nursing care services unit within prison facility Medical/urgent care center outside of prison facility Other/unspecified/unknown 2015–19 120 100% 10.0 19.2 10.8 13.3 6.7 3.3 20.0 3.3 0.8 100% 0.8 3.3 9.2 7.5 33.3 18.3 12.5 100% 76.7 10.8 Note: Includes deaths in Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities and excludes deaths in privately operated federal facilities. As of December 30, 2001, sentenced felons from the District of Columbia were the responsibility of the BOP. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and missing data. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. aFor prisoners convicted of more than one crime, the most serious offense is the one that carries the longest sentence. bIncludes persons held for states, the U.S. military, or the District of Columbia; under treatment or hospital care; or on supervised release in a federal community corrections center. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Federal Law Enforcement Agency Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, 2015–19. 2015–19 120 100% 29.6 18.5 25.9 25.9 100% 80.8 5.8 6.7 3.3 3.3 100% 13.3 13.3 3.3 57.5 12.5 Note: Includes deaths in Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities and excludes deaths in privately operated federal facilities. As of December 30, 2001, sentenced felons from the District of Columbia were the responsibility of the BOP. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and missing data. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology. aThe 2015–19 category reflects 2019 percentages because these data were collected only in 2019. bIncludes hanging, strangulation, asphyxia, anoxia, and other methods of reducing oxygen intake. cIncludes all types of sharp force trauma or other injuries that cause acute loss of blood. dIncludes drug overdoses and ingestion or use of other poisonous substances. eIncludes self-inflicted blunt force trauma, dehydration, and unknown or unreported causes. fThe BOP reported only the actual location of death, not where the suicide event occurred. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Federal Law Enforcement Agency Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, 2015–19. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 27 ■ TabLE 20 Percent of state and federal prisons, by number of suicides and facility characteristics, 2019 Facility characteristic Total Prison operator Federal State/joint state and local Private Prison main functionb General adult housing Alcohol/drug treatment Reception/diagnostic Medical treatment Mental health/psychiatric treatment Work facility/boot campc Otherd Programs oferedb,e Drug treatment Alcohol treatment Psychiatric care Anger management Employment training Life skills Parenting skills Capacityb,f Prison facilities operating at 100% capacity or less Prison facilities operating at more than 100% capacity Median rated/design capacity Mean rated/design capacity Number of prison facilities 1,161 Total 1,161 No suicides 944 1 suicidea 146 2 or more suicides 71 111 968 82 100% 100% 100% 82.9% 80.6 87.8 14.4% 12.7 8.5 2.7% 6.7 3.7 979 49 41 19 21 8 44 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 80.8% 95.9 70.7 68.4 81.0 100 88.6 12.8% 4.1 19.5 21.1 19.1 0.0 6.8 6.4% 0.0 9.8 10.5 0.0 0.0 4.5 918 915 721 774 795 856 669 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 80.3% 79.7 77.1 78.6 79.0 79.0 81.2 13.7% 14.1 15.5 14.2 14.3 14.5 13.2 6.0% 6.2 7.4 7.2 6.7 6.5 5.7 715 100% 84.1% 10.6% 5.3% 216 100% 76.9 927 beds 1,004.9 16.7 1,365 beds 1,598.0 6.5 1,738 beds 1,998.4 Note: Includes state and federal confinement facilities. Excludes state and federal community corrections facilities where offenders spend 50% or more of the day outside of confinement. Includes deaths in publicly and privately operated state facilities and in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Includes deaths in Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities and excludes deaths in privately operated federal facilities. As of December 30, 2001, sentenced felons from the District of Columbia were the responsibility of the BOP. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and missing data. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See appendix table 1 for number of facilities by type and operator. See Methodology. aExcludes three suicides reported to BJS’s Mortality in Correctional Institutions collection by facilities that were not considered confinement facilities in the Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities. bAs of midyear (last weekday in June). cIncludes facilities that primarily hold probation and parole violators, prerelease facilities, and other facilities that may allow movement in the community for less than 50% of the day. dIncludes housing for specific populations, such as juvenile offenders, sex offenders, or low security non-U.S. citizens; vocational and work camps; faith-based facilities; and geriatric care facilities. ePrison facilities can offer multiple programs. The 2019 Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities did not measure whether prisoners who died by suicide had participated in or had access to the programs. fFacilities operating above 100% capacity held more prisoners than their rated or design capacity. A total of 275 facilities did not report either type of capacity. See Terms and defnitions. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities, 2019; Federal Law Enforcement Agency Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, 2019; and Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2019. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 28 ■ TabLE 21 Percent of state and federal prisons, by number of suicides and population characteristics, 2019 Population characteristic Total Prisoners in facilityb 499 or fewer 500–999 1,000–1,499 1,500–1,999 2,000–2,499 2,500 or more Security level Maximumc Mediumd Minimum Uncategorized Prisoners in restricted housingb,e Facility staf with security responsibilitiesb Prisoners per security staf memberb,f Daytime shift Nighttime shift Overnight shift Total security staff Number of prison facilities 1,161 Total 1,161 315 280 281 137 65 83 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 97.1% 87.9 79.0 61.3 61.5 55.4 2.2% 9.3 15.3 26.3 21.5 24.1 0.6% 2.9 5.7 12.4 16.9 20.5 376 451 289 47 100% 100% 100% 100% 64.6% 84.7 96.2 91.5 5.5% 72.8% 21.3% 11.8 3.5 6.4 6.5% 68.0% 14.1% 3.6 0.4 2.1 11.5% 68.0% 16.9 prisoners 24.0 51.4 4.9 16.5 prisoners 24.1 53.8 4.7 17.2 prisoners 24.6 61.9 4.8 No suicides 944 1 suicidea 146 2 or more suicides 71 Note: Includes state and federal confinement facilities. Excludes state and federal community corrections facilities where offenders spend 50% or more of the day outside of confinement. Includes deaths in publicly and privately operated state facilities and in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Includes deaths in Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities and excludes deaths in privately operated federal facilities. As of December 30, 2001, sentenced felons from the District of Columbia were the responsibility of the BOP. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and missing data. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See appendix table 1 for number of facilities by type and operator. See Methodology. aExcludes three suicides reported to BJS’s Mortality in Correctional Institutions collection by facilities that were not considered confinement facilities in the Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities. bAs of midyear (last weekday in June). cIncludes super maximum facilities, administrative facilities, and facilities reporting a range of security levels with the highest level being maximum. dIncludes facilities that reported multilevel physical security in which the closest security level was medium. eIncludes prisoners held in protective custody, in administrative segregation, for disciplinary reasons, on death row, on suicide watch, or in other types of housing apart from the facility’s general population. Percentages are based on the total number of prisoners in facilities with restricted housing programs. fRatios are based on prison facilities that reported staffing levels for all shifts. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities, 2019; Federal Law Enforcement Agency Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, 2019; and Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2019. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 29 ■ Methodology Data sources Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000-2019 Te Mortality in Correctional Institutions (MCI), formerly the Deaths in Custody Reporting Program (DCRP), was an annual Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) data collection from 2000 to 2019. Te MCI obtained national-, state-, and incident-level data on adults who died while in the physical custody of the 50 state departments of corrections (DOCs) or in the physical custody of the approximately 2,800 local jail jurisdictions with adult populations nationwide. BJS defnes a jail as a locally operated correctional facility that confnes persons before or afer adjudication for more than 72 hours, excluding temporary lockups. Te DCRP began in 2000 in response to the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2000 (DICRA; P.L. 106-297) and was the only national statistical collection providing comprehensive information about deaths in adult correctional facilities. Starting in 2000, BJS collected data directly from the approximately 2,800 jail jurisdictions in the U.S. and maintained an average annual response rate of 98%. Te jail universe for the MCI included all jails operating at the time of data collection each year. BJS updated the jail frame annually to document jails that had closed, consolidated, or otherwise eliminated operations. Te most recent jail universe identifed 2,925 jurisdictions that represented 3,130 jail facilities. Of these, 2,858 jurisdictions (98%) participated in the MCI in 2019. A jail jurisdiction is a legal entity that manages jail facilities. Jail jurisdictions typically operate at the county level, and a sherif ’s ofce or jail administrator usually manages the local facilities. MCI data identify the jail facility where an inmate died, but data are summarized at the jail jurisdiction level. Collection of data from state DOCs began in 2001, and BJS maintained a 100% response rate over all years. Until 2015, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) submitted aggregate counts of the number of male and female deaths to BJS, by cause of death. Te BOP started reporting decedent-level data to BJS in 2015, including individual demographic and criminal justice characteristics through the Federal Law Enforcement Agency Deaths in Custody Reporting Program. In 2017, BJS changed the name from the DCRP to MCI to more accurately describe the data collection. In the MCI, custody refers to the physical holding of a person in a facility or to the period during which a correctional authority maintains a chain of custody over an inmate. For instance, if a jail transports an ill inmate to a hospital for medical services and that inmate dies in the hospital while in the chain of custody of the jail, then that death is counted as a death in custody. A death that occurs when an inmate is not in the custody of a correctional authority is considered beyond the scope of the MCI. Deaths were considered out of scope for inmates who were on escape status or under the supervision of community corrections, such as on probation, parole, or home electronic monitoring. Local jail and state correctional ofcials were asked to determine whether the inmate was in the physical custody of the jurisdiction at the time of death, regardless of the reason the inmate was being held. Some local jails hold state prisoners, but if a prisoner dies in the custody of the local jail, the death is attributed to the jail, not the state DOC. Custody is further complicated by the functions of some sherif ’s ofces, including dual responsibilities for law enforcement and jail administration. As a result, some deaths that respondents reported as jail deaths occurred before the jail had custody of the decedent. Deaths that occurred in the process of arrest were identifed by BJS and excluded by using information about the circumstances surrounding the death. Mortality data measured by the MCI included the location and type of facility where the inmate died, decedent characteristics (sex, race or ethnicity, and age), admission date, conviction status, and admission ofense. MCI respondents were instructed to report on the cause of death as determined by autopsy or another ofcial medical investigation. For the MCI, deaths due to accidental intoxication, other accidents, suicides, and homicides were considered discrete causes of death. Although the manner and cause of death are distinct from one another, no such distinction was made in the MCI. When reporting a death due to illness, accident, suicide, intoxication, or homicide, BJS requested that respondents describe the events surrounding these deaths. Clinical data specialists converted text entries that described illness-related deaths into standard medical codes from the World Health Organization’s International Statistical Classifcation of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 30 ■ Te MCI also collected data on the circumstances surrounding the death (the cause, time, and location of death), whether an autopsy was conducted, and the availability of autopsy results to the respondent. Specifcally for suicide deaths, from 2008 to 2019, BJS asked respondents to briefy describe the event in the MCI and to report whether the decedent had spent at least one night in a mental health facility since admission to prison or jail. BJS ceased collection of mortality data in state and local correctional facilities afer the 2019 reference year. When DICRA was reauthorized in 2014 (P.L. 113-242), it included additional enforcement and reporting compliance requirements that are incompatible with BJS’s authorizing statute as a federal statistical agency. Te U.S Department of Justice (DOJ) determined it would be more appropriate for the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to administer the program and collect mortality data for the DOJ starting with quarter 1 of fscal year 2019 (October to December 2019). State departments of corrections and local jails now report their death information on a quarterly basis to centralized state agencies, which compile and submit these data to BJA to comply with all applicable requirements in P.L. 113-242. Census of Jails, 2019 BJS conducts the Census of Jails (COJ) periodically to collect jail data through a complete enumeration of local jail facilities and BOP detention facilities. Te 2019 COJ was the eleventh administration since 1970. Data were collected through a web-based survey during the fall of 2019, with a reference date of June 30, 2019. Te COJ gathers data from jails holding inmates beyond arraignment, usually for a period exceeding 72 hours. Jail facilities are intended to hold adults, but some also hold juveniles (persons age 17 or younger). Te universe of the COJ consists of all local jail jurisdictions (including county, city, regional, and privately operated jail facilities) and BOP detention facilities that function as jails.1 Te COJ universe excludes separate temporary holding facilities (such as drunk tanks and police lockups) that do not hold persons afer they have been formally charged in court. However, temporary holding facilities that are operated as part of a local jail are included. Te combined jail 1Regional jail jurisdictions are created by two or more local governing bodies through cooperative agreements. and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont are excluded from the COJ, as they are operated by state DOCs, and included in BJS’s Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities. Te COJ uses two data collection forms for multiple-facility jail jurisdictions. Te CJ-3A obtains information on the count, race or ethnicity, conviction status, citizenship, holding agency, and average daily population (ADP) for jurisdictions that have multiple facilities under a single legal authority and have one or more reporting units. Te jurisdictions also submit one CJ-3A Addendum form for each facility under their legal authority. Te CJ-3A Addendum requests information on the purposes and functions of each jail, the rated capacity, and the existence of any consent decrees placed on the facilities. Single-facility jurisdictions received a CJ-3 form in the 2019 COJ, which combined the questions from the CJ-3A and CJ-3A Addendum forms. MCI data on suicides that occurred in 2019 were linked to the 2019 COJ at both the jurisdiction and facility levels. Jurisdiction matching was based on the common jurisdiction identifcation number that BJS uses in jail collections. One suicide reported to the MCI occurred in a single-facility jurisdiction that did not respond to the 2019 COJ. Tis suicide was excluded from analyses of the linked collections at both the jurisdiction and facility levels. COJ facility-level data were linked to MCI suicides from 2019 using the facility name, city, and state. Two jurisdictions reported suicides to the MCI but did not indicate the facilities or cities where they occurred. Tese deaths were excluded from the analysis of linked COJ-MCI data at the facility level. Additionally, a medical facility outside of the jail was reported as the location of death for multiple suicides in 2019. When these occurred in single-jail jurisdictions, BJS could attribute the suicide to their jail facility. However, fve multiple-jail jurisdictions had suicides whose locations of death were community medical facilities not associated with the jails. Because these suicides could not be attributed to any particular jail, they were excluded from the facility-level analysis of the linked COJ-MCI data. Because the 2019 COJ represents a complete enumeration of local jails in the U.S., the results are not subject to sampling error. However, the results were afected by unit and item nonresponse, and adjustments were made to account for nonresponse. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 31 ■ Te 2019 COJ had a response rate of 94%. Seventy-four jail jurisdictions did not respond to the census. To reduce nonresponse bias, nonresponse weighting was implemented. To calculate the nonresponse weight, missing data were frst imputed for two variables (confned inmate population and the number of juveniles), using a carry-forward cold-deck procedure. Te missing data were replaced with the most recent prior-year data that the same jail jurisdictions reported to the 2016, 2017, or 2018 Annual Survey of Jails (ASJ) or the MCI Annual Summary File. For cases with no prior-year data, a weighted sequential hot-deck procedure was implemented to impute missing data, where the donor for each missing item was randomly selected from a set of similar jails, sorted by related auxiliary population values (e.g., jail size, inmate sex distribution, state or region, and county classifcation). Next, all jail jurisdictions were classifed into 10 strata based on their reported or imputed values of confned population, the presence of juveniles, and whether they were operated as a regional jail in the 2019 COJ. Te nonresponse weight was calculated as the total confned population of all active jail jurisdictions in each state and stratum, divided by the sum of the confned population of all jail jurisdictions in each state and stratum that responded to the 2019 COJ— ∑ where— ∑ nsh = number of jail jurisdictions in state s and stratum h, pshi = confned population for jail jurisdiction i in state s and stratum h, Ashi = active status indicator for jurisdiction i in state s and stratum h (1 = active, 0 = out of scope), and Rshi = response indicator of jurisdiction i in state s and stratum h (1 = respondent, 0 = nonrespondent). Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities, 2019 BJS conducted the Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities (CCF) between September 2019 and March 2020, with a reference date of June 30, 2019. Based on the primary function of the facility and the percentage of prisoners who were allowed to leave the facility unaccompanied for work or study release, BJS classifed prisons as confnement or community corrections facilities. Of the 1,982 prison facilities in the original universe for CCF, 282 were deemed ineligible, and 23 did not respond to the survey. Tis resulted in an overall response rate of 98.6%. In linking CCF data to MCI suicide records, BJS included only the confnement prisons because these aligned with the MCI defnition of in-custody deaths. Tis resulted in a fle of 1,189 confnement facilities, of which 220 had at least one suicide. Because of the high response rate, CCF data were not weighted. BJS combined state and federal facilities in the analysis for tables 20 and 21 because disaggregation of the smaller number of federal facilities by count of suicides and other characteristics could allow for the identifcation of individuals. National Prisoner Statistics program, 2001-2019 Data on state and federal prison populations used as denominators for mortality rates were obtained from BJS’s National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program, which collects information from state DOCs and the BOP on custody and jurisdiction populations, admissions to and releases from prison, the capacity of state and federal prison systems, and some demographic characteristics of prisoners. BJS used the NPS and individual-level data from the National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP) and the Federal Justice Statistics Program (FJSP) to obtain the age distribution of the prison population. Te original DICRA legislation did not require federal law enforcement or correctional authorities to report deaths in prisons. However, from 2001 to 2014, the BOP reported aggregate counts of deaths in BOP-operated facilities to the NPS. Ten in 2015, the reauthorized DICRA legislation made federal reporting of deaths a requirement, and the BOP began providing individual-level death records to BJS from both BOP- and privately operated federal facilities as part of the Federal Law Enforcement Agency Deaths in Custody Reporting Program. In the current analysis of suicides, BJS excluded deaths in private federal prisons from 2015 to 2019 to allow for comparability over time. Table 1 in this report shows total deaths from all causes, as well as the number of suicides per year in BOP-operated facilities. A total of nine deaths in private federal prisons in 2015, seven in 2016, seven in 2017, fve in 2018, and seven in 2019 were excluded. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 32 ■ Among these deaths, one suicide in 2015, one in 2016, and none in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Federal Justice Statistics Program Te federal prison data from BJS’s FJSP are an annual collection of administrative records for each prisoner who was in custody on December 31. BJS obtains these records from the BOP. Data elements include demographic, criminal justice, and sentencing characteristics. For this report, BJS used the age distributions obtained from the FJSP annual prison fles as denominators for suicide rates by age in the BOP. National Corrections Reporting Program Similar to FJSP, the NCRP obtains individual-level administrative records for all persons in the custody of state- or privately operated prison facilities at yearend. BJS obtained annual age distributions for state prisoners from the NCRP and used them to calculate suicide rates by age for this report. Reported statistics Mortality data in this report include the number of deaths by suicide, suicide rates by year, the cause of death, selected decedent and suicide event characteristics, the state where the death occurred, and characteristics of facilities that experienced one or more suicides in 2019. Te data are separated by type of facility (local jail, state DOC, or BOP). Te jail and prison populations difer substantially from the U.S. resident population in terms of age, race or ethnicity, and sex distributions. Tese diferences preclude direct comparison of suicide rates between incarcerated populations and the U.S. resident population. Suicide mortality rates are calculated per 100,000 local jail inmates and per 100,000 state or federal prisoners, with the denominators providing estimates of the number of person-years of exposure in custody in institutional corrections (person-years combines time in a correctional institution with the number of inmates to measure actual exposure to a correctional institution setting). Te mortality rate for local jails is calculated as the number of deaths per year divided by the average daily population (ADP), with the resulting quotient multiplied by 100,000. Te ADP for jails is defned as the average daily number of inmates held in a jail jurisdiction during a calendar year, from January 1 through December 31. Te ADP is used as the denominator for mortality rates to accommodate the high turnover and daily fuctuation in local jail populations. Compared to a single-day inmate count, the ADP is a better indicator of the number of days per year that an inmate is exposed to the risk of death. Jail populations have a much higher turnover than prison populations. Mean length of stay is about 26 days in local jails, compared to 2 years in state prisons. Te ADP refects the annual number of admissions and mean length of stay, and it can be expressed as the product of these two values. When mean length of stay is expressed in years, the ADP is equivalent to the number of person-years spent by inmates during a given year. ADP data are received directly from jails through the MCI using the CJ-9A summary form. Starting in 2002, BJS collected the ADP directly from respondents. Prior to 2002, the ADP was calculated by taking the average of the January 1 count from the prior year and the December 31 count from the reference year. Te mortality rate for state or federal prisoners is calculated as the number of deaths per year divided by the December 31 population of state or federal prisoners in custody, with the resulting quotient multiplied by 100,000. Te population of state prisoners used in rate calculations includes prisoners held in privately operated facilities, while the population in federal prisons does not. To improve comparability between years, this report includes mortality rates of state prisons that were reestimated for prior years using updated year-end custody populations, including privately operated facilities. Estimating population characteristics of inmates to calculate mortality rates by demographic subgroups Data from several data collections were used to generate distributions of sex, race or ethnicity, and age among inmates in local jails and to estimate how these demographic characteristics were distributed by ADP. Tese collections were chosen because they were conducted closest in time to the 2019 reference year. Tey include two types of data: (1) in-person survey data, where jail inmates are asked directly to identify their date of birth, sex at birth, race, and ethnicity and (2) administrative data, which is derived from the ofcial operational records maintained by the jail facility and may difer from how an inmate Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 33 ■ would self-identify (especially in terms of race and ethnicity) if given the chance. BJS’s administrative data collections on jails include— the MCI, conducted annually the ASJ, conducted annually the COJ, conducted every 5 to 6 years, including in 2013 and 2019. BJS’s in-person inmate survey data on jails include— the Survey of Inmates in Local Jails (SILJ), last conducted in 2002 the National Inmate Survey (NIS), conducted in 2006, 2007 to 2009, and 2012. Prior to 2010, the ASJ provided estimates of local jail inmates by sex for each year of the MCI collection. Te ASJ percentages were applied to each year’s ADP from the MCI to estimate the ADP of male and female inmates. Starting in 2010, sex-specifc data on ADP from the MCI were used to calculate the denominators for mortality rates for males and females. Data from the SILJ, NIS, and COJ were used to estimate the relative distribution of adults by race or ethnicity for diferent periods. Because the SILJ (2002), NIS (2007 to 2009), and COJ (2013) are not felded annually, the population estimates were smoothed before being applied to MCI data for specifc time periods. Te SILJ estimates were used to cover the period from 2000 to 2004, the NIS estimates to cover years 2005 to 2012, and the COJ estimates to cover years 2013 to 2019. In all cases, the percentages associated with the distribution of race or ethnicity were applied to the ADP. To estimate the distribution of local jail inmates by age, BJS frst obtained an estimate of the number of inmates age 17 or younger from the ASJ (2000 to 2012 and 2014 to 2016) and the 2013 COJ. An estimate of the ADP of inmates age 17 or younger was obtained by applying the annual percentage of inmates age 17 or younger from the ASJ and COJ to the annual ADP collected in the MCI. To estimate the distribution of adult inmates by age, data from the 2002 SILJ were used to estimate the relative distribution of adults by age for the years 2000 to 2006, and data from the NIS collections were used for years 2007 to 2016. Estimates were directly available from these sources for 2002, 2007, 2009, and 2012. Te age distribution for 2002 (SILJ) was applied to MCI data for 2000 and 2001, and the distribution from 2012 (NIS) was used for 2013 to 2018. Estimates were smoothed to account for gaps in reference years when age estimates were not available (2003 to 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2011). Age and sex distributions of the state and federal prison populations were estimated using the NPS, NCRP, and FJSP data collections. Rates for race or ethnicity were also derived from these collections. Tey have been updated from previous years and may not match previously reported rates. Race or ethnicity reported in the NPS, NCRP, and FJSP come from administrative records of prisoners and may not refect self-reporting by prisoners. Distributions of race or ethnicity were adjusted based on self-reported data collected from interviews with prisoners through BJS’s national prisoner surveys. Previously, distributions of race or ethnicity were derived from BJS’s 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities. In 2017, BJS updated estimates of prisoners’ race or ethnicity using new data from the 2016 Survey of Prison Inmates (formerly the Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities). Annual distributions of race or ethnicity were weighted by the number of years from the most recent prisoner survey (2004 or 2016). For complete details on the methodology used to estimate distributions of race or ethnicity, see Prisoners in 2016 (NCJ 251149, BJS, January 2018). Interpreting rates among small populations MCI data on deaths in local jails are not subject to sampling error because the data represent a full enumeration of deaths. However, according to Brillinger and NCHS, mortality data from a complete enumeration may be subject to random error because “the number of deaths that actually occurred may be considered as one of a large series of possible results that could have arisen under the same set of circumstances.”2,3 Te random variation can be large when the number of deaths is small. Terefore, caution is warranted when interpreting statistics that are based on small numbers of deaths. Using the NCHS and Brillinger methods, BJS quantifed random variation by assuming that the 2See Brillinger, D. R. (1986). Te natural variability of vital rates and associated statistics. Biometrics, 42(4), 693-734. 3See Xu, J., Kochanek, K. D., Murphy, S. L., & Tejada-Vera, B. (2010). Deaths: Final data for 2007 (National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 58, No. 19). National Center for Health Statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr58/nvsr58_19.pdf Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 34 ■ appropriate underlying probability distribution for the number of deaths was a Poisson distribution. Tis provided a simple and reasonable approach for estimating variances in mortality statistics when the probability of dying is low. Variances were calculated based on the assumption of a Poisson process. From these variances, estimates of relative random error were calculated. Tese estimates are comparable to the relative standard error because the relative random error is the ratio of random error derived from the Poisson variance to the number of deaths. Following NCHS practice, when the relative random error exceeded 30%, estimated mortality rates were fagged with an “!” symbol to show the instability of the rate. (i.e., Interpret with caution. Estimate is based on 10 or fewer cases.) aPPEndIx TabLE 1 Number of correctional facilities, by type and operator, 2019 Operator Total Public Federal State Private All facilities* Confnement Community-based 1,677 1,161 516 1,266 1,079 187 111 111 0 1,155 968 187 411 82 329 *There were 139 additional facilities linked to another facility for which data could not be reported separately. Data from these facilities were merged with data for 96 facilities. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional Facilities, 2019. Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 – Statistical Tables | October 2021 35 ■ Te Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the principal federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal victimization, criminal ofenders, victims of crime, correlates of crime, and the operation of criminal and civil justice systems at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels. BJS collects, analyzes, and disseminates reliable statistics on crime and justice systems in the United States, supports improvements to state and local criminal justice information systems, and participates with national and international organizations to develop and recommend national standards for justice statistics. Doris J. James is the acting director. Tis report was written by E. Ann Carson. Stephanie Mueller, Lauren G. Beatty, Emily Buehler, Zhen Zeng, and Laura Maruschak verifed the report. Edrienne Su and Eric Hendrixson edited the report. Carrie Epps-Carey produced the report. October 2021, NCJ 300731 JS I II lllllmlll IIll llll NCJ 30073 1 Office of Justice Programs Building Solutions • Supporting Communities • Advancing Justice www.ojp.gov