Unknown Unknowns: Pennsylvania Doesn’t Track Inmate Deaths

The Center Square YT

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April 5th, 2024

DESCRIPTION

Hundreds of inmates die in Pennsylvania’s state prisons and county jails, but oversight is superficial at best. Deaths in custody rose from 171 in 2019 to 239 in 2020 in state prisons, and 56 prisoners died in county jails in 2020, a two-decade high in Pennsylvania. And numbers could be higher — reporting requirements for both institutions are weak.

The Center Square YT

The focus of The Center Square's work is state and local level government and economic reporting. A taxpayer sensibility distinguishes our work from other coverage of state and local issues. As a result of this approach, our audiences are better informed about the focus of state and local government and its cost to the citizens whose tax dollars fund governmental decisions.