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Massachusetts Suicide Prevention Procedures Found Lacking
Massachusetts Suicide Prevention Procedures Found Lacking
by David M. Reutter
An independent study of suicide prevention practices within the Massachusetts Department of Corrections (MDOC) has found serious deficiencies in the care of prisoners at risk of suicide. Since 2000, there have been 18 suicides, but 12 of those occurred …
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More from this issue:
- Economic Crisis Prompts Prison Closures Nationwide, but Savings (and Reforms) are Elusive, by David Reutter
- Illinois Governor Bases Prison Closure Decision on Politics, by Derick Limberg
- Pennsylvania Prison Crowding, Parole Crisis Result in New Laws, Parole Suspension, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Prisons Flush Drugs, Contaminate Water Supply, by Mark Wilson
- Prisoner Self Care: Hypertension, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- Releasing The Disease: Is Overcrowded Cook County Jail Responsible For The Rise Of MRSA On The Outside?, by Kelly Virella
- Illinois Guards Protest Prison’s Failure to Treat Scabies Outbreak
- Court Monitor Criticized Care to Michigan Dialysis Treatment Afforded Prisoners, by David Reutter
- California Class-Action Suit Reinstates $1.5 Million Illegally Siphoned From County Jail Inmate Welfare Fund, by John Dannenberg
- California Juvenile Parolees Entitled to Two-Step Revocation Process; Case Settles, by John Dannenberg
- Texas Prison Authority OK’s Illegal Use of Prison Labor, but PIE Contract Not Renewed, by Gary Hunter
- California Female Parole Supervisor Awarded $859,000 for Gender Discrimination by Female Superior
- Let Freedom Ring: A Collection of Documents from the Movements to Free U.S. Political Prisoners, by Matt Meyer, by Ian Head
- Minnesota Sex Offenders’ Requisite Disclosure in Treatment Can Violate Fifth Amendment
- BJS Report Finds 53% of Prisoners Are Parents, by Mark Wilson
- BJS Report Reveals Parole Supervision Characteristics, by Mark Wilson
- CA Supreme Court Capitulates, Rewrites "Unworkable" 2005 Dannenberg Lifer Judicial Parole Review Standards
- Federal Prisoner’s §2241 Petition Dismissed for Non-Exhaustion; Prisoner Sought Sentence Reduction for Revealing Weapons
- This Valentine’s Lingerie Is Brought to You By the Prison Industrial Complex, by Beth Schwartzapfel
- Numerous Prison Systems Sign Up for Free Christian TV Programming, by Matthew Clarke
- Massachusetts Suicide Prevention Procedures Found Lacking, by David Reutter
- Colorado: When Suing Private Prison under Common Law Tort, Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies Not Required
- Bureau of Justice Report on Sexual Violence in Juvenile Prisons, by Gary Hunter
- BOP Amends Policy On Shackling Of Pregnant Prisoners
- Thousands Sought Pardons or Commutations from Bush, but Few Were Fortunate, by Brandon Sample
- Indiana Law Requiring Former Prisoners to Consent to Search and Monitoring of Their Computers Held Unconstitutional, by Brandon Sample
- $7.5 Million Fine Recommended in Florida Jail Phone Overcharges, by David Reutter
- California: Restitution Fine Unlawful for Accessory to Murder
- Elected Judges More Punitive Just Before Elections, by Gary Hunter
- Pennsylvania Contractor Prohibited from Using State and Federal Funds for Religious Purposes, by Bob Williams
- $100,000 Settlement In Death of Diabetic California Prisoner
- Missouri Prisoner Wins $25,000 in Police Excessive Force Case; Attorney Fees Limited to $37,500 by PLRA
- Felony Disenfranchisement Reforms Restore Voting Rights to 760,000, by Mark Wilson
- Texas, New Jersey Prison Staff Prosecuted for Cell Phone Smuggling
- North Carolina Audit Finds Deficiencies in 
State-Funded Youth Programs, by Derick Limberg
- Oregon Prison Chief’s Pay Raise Revoked; He Must Survive on Only $14,500 a Month, by Brandon Sample
- Taliban Break 870 Prisoners Out of Afghan Prison
- Imprisoned Connecticut Politician Gets Special Privileges, by Matthew Clarke
- Conditions on Federal Death Row “Horrendous,” ACLU Finds, by Brandon Sample
- Cornell Defrauded of $13 Million in Prison Construction Scam
- Suit Filed Over Minnesota Jail’s Secret Recording of Privileged Phone Calls, by Matthew Clarke
- Arizona DOC Deporting Prisoners to Save Money, by Gary Hunter
- North Carolina DOC Pays $750,000 for Sex Between Guard and Female Prisoner
- News in Brief:
- $1.5 Million Settlement for CA Jail Prisoner’s Broken Leg
More from David Reutter:
- The Malleable Mind in the Courtroom: Why Confident Eyewitnesses Often Provide the Least Reliable Evidence, Oct. 15, 2025
- Help Wanted: 31,000 Prison Guard Jobs Open Nationwide, Sept. 1, 2025
- Fifth Circuit Greenlights Federal Takeover of Mississippi Jail, Aug. 1, 2025
- Ninth Circuit Revives Prisoner’s Claim Based on Guard’s Thwarting of Administrative Remedies, Aug. 1, 2025
- Tenth Circuit Ruling Paves Way for $2.7 Million Settlement for Intellectually Disabled Jail Detainee Raped by Sheriff, Aug. 1, 2025
- Ninth Circuit Agrees That Former Guantanamo Detainee Lacks Grounds to Sue for Waterboarding, Aug. 1, 2025
- Qualified Immunity Denied for Iowa Prison Doctor’s MRI Delay for Non-Medical Reasons, Aug. 1, 2025
- Ninth Circuit: Continuing-Violations Doctrine Applies for PLRA Administrative Exhaustion Purposes, Aug. 1, 2025
- First Circuit: Prosecutor’s Breach of Plea Agreement Requires Government’s Specific Performance of Agreement, Not Specific Performance by District Court, Aug. 1, 2025
- Oregon Prisoners Can Now Seek Economic Damages for Future Lost Income More Easily, July 15, 2025
More from these topics:
- Barbaric and Deadly Conditions Continue to Plague Los Angeles County Jails, Feb. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Totality of Conditions, Overcrowding, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- The St. Louis Jails Are Running Out of Guards, Feb. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, Hygiene Supplies, Suicides.
- Competency Crisis in Missouri’s Jails, Feb. 1, 2026. Jail Specific, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Pretrial Detention and Detainees, Competency, Competency Hearing.
- Amid ‘Catastrophic’ Shortage, Psychologists Flee Federal Prisons in Droves, Feb. 1, 2026. Staffing, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- Georgia Grand Jury Dings Augusta Jail for Overcrowding Days Before Violent Detainee Assault, Feb. 1, 2026. Private Contractors, Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding, Staffing, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- Tenth Circuit Reverses Summary Dismissal of Claim Over Prisoner’s Suicide in Oklahoma Jail, Feb. 1, 2026. Failure to Train/Supervise, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides, Staff Training, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- 2025 Was a Deadly Year for Veterans Behind Bars, Jan. 1, 2026. Brain Injury, Death Penalty, Mental Health, Veterans, Mental Health Experts.
- $2.75 Million Paid by Washington County and NaphCare for Death of “Floridly Psychotic” Detainee Left Untreated in Jail for Months, Jan. 1, 2026. Naphcare, Medication, Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- $200,000 for Detainee Thrown in “Rollover” Solitary Without Food or Water at Minnesota Jail, Jan. 1, 2026. Totality of Conditions, Ad-Seg Hearings, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Monell Liability, Confinement in Segregated Housing.
- $3.3 Million Verdict for Detainee’s Fatal Fentanyl Overdose in Southern California Jail, Jan. 1, 2026. Failure to Protect (General), Failure to Train/Supervise, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Monell Liability, Deliberate Indifference.

