When people are incarcerated due to an alleged criminal act, whether they have been convicted or not, the jail or prison has a responsibility to keep them safe and healthy. However, jails and prisons are often negligent towards their prisoners, which can result in them being injured or killed. Here are five ways that negligence can lead to preventable prison deaths:
- Failing to provide for essential needs, like food or water
- One of the most basic duties that facilities like prisons and jails have is to make sure the prisoners in their care have sufficient food and water to survive. However, some prisons will deprive their prisoners of these essential needs, whether due to neglect or intentional abuse. Either way, it can lead to otherwise preventable prison deaths.
- Failing to protect against extreme heat or cold
- Prisons and jails can potentially become dangerously hot in the summer, or dangerously cold in the winter. That is why they are responsible for ensuring prisoners are not left in locations that have extreme heat or cold, which can lead to potentially lethal exposure. Unfortunately, every year there are some prison deaths related to prisoners left in these kinds of deadly conditions.
- Failing to prevent violence from prisoners or staff
- Prison violence is sadly commonplace, regardless of whether you are talking about inmates fighting with each other, or prison guards abusing the prisoners in their care. Prison staff are supposed to be trained and monitored to avoid this kind of violence as much as possible, and to contain it whenever it happens. Without this training, prison deaths from violent behavior become inevitable.
- Failing to provide necessary medical care
- In addition to their other responsibilities, prisons and jails are supposed to ensure that inmates are given adequate medical care for injuries or illnesses they may suffer. This includes treating them for violent injuries they may suffer, as well as providing care for any chronic medication conditions they have. Prison medical staff is frequently undertrained, understaffed, or underequipped, increasing the chances of prison deaths.
- Failing to prevent overdoses
- Many people who have been incarcerated suffer from addictions of various kinds, and thus may try to find ways to gain access to drugs while serving their sentences. Prison staff have a responsibility to keep these dangerous drugs out of the hands of prisoners, who might use them and accidentally overdose. Without taking adequate care to search for and confiscate drugs, the risk of death from overdose increases significantly.
Williams Cedar is a law firm dedicated to helping clients with personal injury, environmental law, and civil rights cases. We specialize in assisting clients who have been injured due to exposure to environmental toxins, including veterans and their loved ones. If you need legal assistance due to toxic exposure or other related matters, please give us a call at our New Jersey and Pennsylvania offices at (215) 557-0099, or visit our contact page.