DOJ Non-Medical Deaths Report is an Urgent Call to Action

Justice Action Network released the following statement in response to a Thursday report by the Department of Justice that revealed most non-medical deaths in custody could have been prevented:

“The report released today by the Department of Justice is an urgent call to action. No family should ever have to receive a call that a loved one has died while incarcerated simply because a facility was understaffed, under-resourced or out of compliance with BOP policy,” said Inimai Chettiar, Deputy Director for the Justice Action Network “There is strong bipartisan support for comprehensive oversight of our nation’s prisons, and it is long past time for congress to enact the kind of transparency and accountability that will prevent deaths like these in the future. We are encouraged by Senator Durbin’s prompt commitment to hold a hearing in the wake of the report’s release. Families of the deceased, and those whose sons, daughters, brothers and sisters are being detained in federal facilities right now deserve immediate attention.”