LJ Dawson

Overdose Deaths Behind Bars Rise as Drug Crisis Swells

KFF Health News Original

Drug-related mortality rates have increased in prisons and jails even as the number of people incarcerated for drug offenses has dropped. The pandemic lockdowns on visitors didn’t eliminate the problem, showcasing that guards have been a source of the contraband.

Inmates Who Died Asked for Release Before Falling Ill With Covid

KFF Health News Original

Covid is running rampant through the Alderson women’s prison in West Virginia, in one of the deadliest outbreaks this year at a federal correctional facility. This comes as Bureau of Prisons officials take heat for how the agency has handled the pandemic.

Under COVID Cloud, Prisons In Rural America Threaten To Choke Rural Hospitals

KFF Health News Original

A rural Montana county of 5,000 people lays claim to the state’s highest COVID-19 infection rate. The community risks additional spread, though, because of a private prison situated there. If the virus infiltrates the prison and just a fraction of inmates get sick, the area’s limited health resources may not endure.

Taking The Cops Out Of Mental Health-Related 911 Rescues

KFF Health News Original

Denver is considering adopting a new 911 alternative used in Eugene, Ore., that allows mental health and medical professionals, not police officers, to respond to some emergency calls, saving money and de-escalating situations with mentally ill people.