News Report | June 2, 2019
Overdose Deaths In California Prisons Up 160% In Four Years
Overdose deaths in California’s 36 correctional facilities increased by 160%, from 15 deaths in 2014 to 39 deaths in 2017. Emergency department visits and admissions for drug overdose increased 54% during this time, from about 310 in 2014 to about 500 in 2017. The number of persons in California correctional facilities decreased by 4%, from 135,484 in 2014, to 129,872 in 2017 during the same time period. During 2016, the overdose death rate was the fifth leading cause of death among inmates at California correctional facilities. California’s prison overdose death rates ranged from 5.3 deaths . . .