Violence and deaths in American state prisons rose sharply as chronic staff shortages strained already overstretched correctional systems. A Justice Department-funded review found prisoner death rates climbed 47% between 2019 and 2024, excluding pandemic effects. Assaults on inmates increased 54%, while attacks on prison staff jumped 77%, reflecting deteriorating safety inside facilities. Understaffing forced heavy overtime, costing states over $2bn in 2024 and accelerating guard burnout and resignations. Despite shrinking prison populations in many states, institutional capacity has weakened, exposing deep structural failures in incarceration policy.
DangerousCyclone on
Weren’t there prisons which the prisoners effectively ran and that the guards just contained them in a perimeter?
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Violence and deaths in American state prisons rose sharply as chronic staff shortages strained already overstretched correctional systems. A Justice Department-funded review found prisoner death rates climbed 47% between 2019 and 2024, excluding pandemic effects. Assaults on inmates increased 54%, while attacks on prison staff jumped 77%, reflecting deteriorating safety inside facilities. Understaffing forced heavy overtime, costing states over $2bn in 2024 and accelerating guard burnout and resignations. Despite shrinking prison populations in many states, institutional capacity has weakened, exposing deep structural failures in incarceration policy.
Weren’t there prisons which the prisoners effectively ran and that the guards just contained them in a perimeter?