A Crisis of Neglect: Deaths in County Jails Expose a Shocking Lack of Care and Accountability
In a harrowing new investigative report, Sarah Stillman unveils a deeply troubling crisis occurring in American county jails, where a significant number of people have tragically starved to death, died from dehydration, or succumbed to medical crises related to neglect. Through an exhaustive investigation, Stillman paints a chilling picture of systemic failures in correctional facilities across the country—failures that are often exacerbated by profit-driven private health care providers, inadequate staffing, and a complete disregard for the basic rights and needs of those incarcerated.
The report, which draws on the work of the Investigative Reporting Lab at Yale, reveals that in some cases, hundreds or even thousands of hours of neglect were captured on video. These videos depict inmates in agonizing states of physical and mental decline, left without proper medical care, food, water, or even basic hygiene. Stillman recounts one particularly haunting experience, where a lawyer, before sharing a confidential video documenting a jail death, warned her, “It will stain your brain.” Stillman herself writes, “It did.”
The investigation focuses on the private correctional-health-care companies that provide medical services in many county jails, some of which have been linked to numerous deaths due to neglect. More than 20 private companies were identified as being responsible for providing care in jails where these deaths have occurred. The findings are deeply disturbing: in many cases, psychiatrists employed by these companies meet with inmates virtually—from out of state—for only a matter of minutes, leaving entry-level nurses to oversee care in overcrowded, under-resourced jails. One lawyer representing a victim of jail neglect put it bluntly: “You can’t have a licensed practical nurse running a jail for 300 people who have more mental-health needs than ever before in history. It generates profit for providers. But it’s designed to fail.”
The overwhelming majority of victims reviewed in Stillman’s report were individuals who were locked up pretrial, often on questionable charges or for minor offenses. Many of them were detained simply because they could not afford bail, leaving them to languish in overcrowded facilities without adequate access to legal representation or basic necessities. Others were suffering from mental health issues, making it difficult for them to communicate their needs or reach out to family members who could advocate on their behalf.
One of the most heart-wrenching aspects of the report is the revelation that many of the victims of starvation, dehydration, and neglect were housed in solitary confinement or similar forms of isolation—conditions that are known to exacerbate mental health issues and increase the risk of suicide. These individuals were often denied access to functioning toilets or running water, forced to sleep on thin mats on concrete floors, in dimly lit rooms where the lights never turned off. In some cases, the conditions were so dire that the victims were left vulnerable to insects and rodents, which were able to feed on their bodies due to their weakened and deteriorating states.
Stillman’s investigation sheds light on a scandal of neglect that has often been hidden behind a veil of silence. In some instances, the authorities involved—including private companies and government officials—have been complicit in covering up the deaths and minimizing the scale of the crisis. As Stillman notes, these deaths are not isolated incidents; they are part of a larger pattern of systemic neglect in the U.S. jail system, where profit motives often outweigh the well-being of incarcerated individuals.
These are not just isolated or individual failings—they represent a broader failure of our justice and correctional systems. They expose how the most vulnerable citizens—those who are often struggling with mental health issues or facing unjust detention—are treated with cruel indifference, if not outright disregard. The people who are subjected to these horrific conditions are not hardened criminals or dangerous offenders; they are often individuals who need support and care, not punishment and isolation.
The implications of Stillman’s report are staggering: it reveals that in county jails across America, state-sponsored homicides are taking place in plain sight, with the full knowledge of officials and private contractors who have been entrusted with the care and dignity of human beings. The systemic neglect of these individuals is not just an oversight or accident; it is a pattern of carelessness, indifference, and systemic failure that has been allowed to persist unchecked for far too long.
The public must demand accountability for the tragic deaths and suffering that have been allowed to occur. There must be greater oversight of the companies that are entrusted with providing medical care in jails, and a comprehensive rethinking of how we treat incarcerated individuals—especially those who are pretrial detainees, who have not been convicted of any crime. This crisis is not just a matter of poor conditions; it is a matter of human rights.
In the face of this ongoing tragedy, Stillman’s investigation offers an urgent call to action: we must demand that authorities at every level of government address the systemic failures within the correctional system and hold accountable those responsible for the deaths and suffering of these vulnerable individuals. These deaths cannot be ignored, and the people responsible for them must be held to account.
This investigation calls on all of us to stand with those who have been neglected, abandoned, and silenced in our jails. We must come together as a society to ensure that no more lives are lost to preventable neglect and that justice is not just a privilege for the few, but a right for all.