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Abstract: 

BJS has released its annual mortality rates for U.S. prisons and jails. The figures are for calendar year 2013, the mostrecent for which complete data is available. The number of inmates who died while in the custody of local jails or state prisons increased for the third consecutive year. At about the same time the BJS released its report, the National Center for Health Statistics, a division of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released “Deaths: Final Data for 2013,” which summarizes figures on mortality collated for the National Vital Statistics Report and issued annually. Like BJS, the CDC report also shows an increase in the U.S. mortality rate in 2013. This article examines and compares these mortality studies, identifies the leading causes of death in jails, prisons, and the general public, and compares incidence and mortality rates for a wide range of acute and chronic conditions. With tables on mortality by age group and annual rates by cause of death from 2001-2013.

Keywords: Jail and Prison Mortality; U.S. Death Rates; Leading Causes of Death

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