U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics

April 2021, NCJ 256002

E. Ann Carson, Ph.D., BJS Statistician

I

n 2018, a total of 1,120 inmates died in
local jails, an increase of nearly 2% from the
1,099 deaths reported in 2017. This was the
highest number of deaths reported in local jails
since the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) began
collecting mortality data in 2000. From 2017 to
2018, the mortality rate—the annual number
of deaths per 100,000 jail inmates—increased
almost 2%, from 151 to 154 deaths per 100,000 jail
inmates (figure 1). Slightly less than half of all
deaths reported in local jails in 2018 were due
to illnesses (46%), such as heart disease, liver
disease, and cancer (figure 2). Suicide remained
the single leading cause of death in local jails in
2018, accounting for almost 30% of deaths.
Jail inmates had a lower overall mortality rate
in 2018 (146 per 100,000 jail inmates) than the
United States resident population adjusted for
sex, race or ethnicity, and age (322 per 100,000

FIGURE 1
Mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates, by
cause of death, 2000–2018
Mortality rate
160
120

-

All causes

Illness*
Suicide

80
40
0

Drug/alcohol intoxication
’00

’02

’04

’06 ’08* ’10

’12

’14

’16

’18

Note: Mortality rates are based on the annual number of deaths
and the average daily population. See table 3 and appendix
table 6 for rates.
*In 2008, a high number of illness cases were missing cause
of death information and were classified as other/unknown.
See Methodology.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional
Institutions, 2000–2018.

Highlights
ƒƒFrom 2017 to 2018, the number of deaths in local
jails increased 1.9% (from 1,099 to 1,120 deaths).

ƒƒWhites accounted for 59% of jail inmate deaths in
2018, similar to the percentage in 2017 (60%).

ƒƒOn average, about half of all deaths in local jails
from 2008 to 2018 were due to illnesses, such as
heart disease, liver disease, and cancer.

ƒƒAbout 40% of inmate deaths in 2018 occurred
within the first 7 days of admission to jail, while
an additional 15% of deaths occurred among
inmates serving 6 months or more.

ƒƒThe number of deaths in local jails due to drug or
alcohol intoxication has more than quadrupled
between 2000 (37) and 2018 (178) (figure 3).
ƒƒInmates in local jails were less likely to die in 2018
(146 deaths per 100,000 jail inmates) than were
adults in the adjusted U.S. resident population
(322 deaths per 100,000 adult U.S. residents).
ƒƒIn 2018, females held in local jails had a higher
rate of mortality (162 deaths per 100,000 female
inmates) than males had (152 deaths per
100,000 male inmates).

ƒƒSimilar to previous years, three-quarters (75%)
of all inmates who died in local jails were
unconvicted at the time of their death.
ƒƒThe average annual suicide rate among white
inmates (86 per 100,000) from 2000 to 2018 was
more than three times the rate among Hispanic
inmates (25 per 100,000) and five times the rate
among black inmates and those of other racial
groups (both 16 per 100,000).

Bureau of Justice Statistics · Statistical Tables

Mortality in Local Jails,
2000-2018 – Statistical Tables

U.S. residents age 18 or older).1 Jail inmates were less
likely than adult U.S. residents to die from all causes of
death except suicide and homicide in 2018 (figure 4).
The mortality rate due to suicide among jail inmates
(45 per 100,000) was more than twice the rate for adult
U.S. residents (22 per 100,000).
Most jail jurisdictions (78%) reported no deaths in 2018,
similar to prior years. Almost 14% of jails reported
one death of an inmate in 2018, and 8% reported two
or more. Similar to other years, the mortality rate for
inmates in 2018 was the highest in jails that held an
average daily population (ADP) of fewer than 50 inmates
(208 per 100,000 inmates). Four in 10 inmate deaths
occurred within the first 7 days of admission to jail.
Findings in this report are from BJS’s data collection on
Mortality in Correctional Institutions (MCI; formerly
the Deaths in Custody Reporting Program). The MCI
is the only national statistical collection that obtains
comprehensive information about deaths among
prisoners and jail inmates in the custody of adult
correctional facilities. This report describes deaths in
local jails from 2000 to 2018, including cause of death,
location of death, decedent characteristics, and the
mortality rate of local jail inmates by state.

FIGURE 2
Percent of deaths of local jail inmates due to illness, by
type of illness, 2000, 2010, and 2018
Percent of deaths
30

■ 2000

25

2010
■ 2018

-------- ■

20
15
10
5
0

Heart
disease

Cancer

AIDS- Respiratory Liver All other
relateda disease disease illnessesb

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics.
See table 2 for data.
aIncludes persons who died of illness and were identified as HIV-positive
or having AIDS at the time of death.
bIncludes other specified illnesses (such as cerebrovascular disease,
influenza, and other nonleading natural causes of death) and
unspecified illnesses.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions,
2000, 2010, and 2018.

Data on mortality in state and federal prisons are
published in Mortality in State and Federal Prisons, 20012018 – Statistical Tables (NCJ 255970, BJS, April 2021).

FIGURE 3
Number of jail inmate deaths, 2000, 2010, and 2018

1The local jail population differs significantly from the U.S. resident

Number of deaths

population in sex, race or ethnicity, and age. To make direct
comparisons between the two populations, BJS adjusted the U.S.
resident population to resemble the sex, race or ethnicity, and age
distribution of local jail inmates before calculating overall and
cause-specific mortality rates. See Methodology.

1,200

■ 2000

1,000

i--------- ■

800

Other key findings
ƒƒOf the 1,120 deaths in local jails in 2018, a total of 335 were
suicides, 290 were due to heart disease, and 178 were
due to drug or alcohol intoxication (table 1) (figure 5).
ƒƒDeaths in local jails due to drug or alcohol intoxication
increased almost 19% from 2017 (150) to 2018 (178),
and 381% since 2000 (37).
ƒƒHomicide deaths, including by other inmates, incidental
to use of force by staff, or due to injuries sustained
before admission, accounted for approximately 2% of
all deaths in local jails in 2018 (table 2).
ƒƒAdjusted for sex, race or ethnicity, and age, the
mortality rate for adult U.S. residents in 2018 (322
deaths per 100,000 adult U.S. residents) was more than
two times the rate for local jail inmates in 2018 (146 per
100,000 jail inmates) (table 4).
Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

2010

■ 2018

600
400
200
0

Total

Naturala
Type of death

Unnaturalb

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics.
See Methodology.
aIncludes deaths due to illnesses, such as heart disease, cancer, liver
disease, and AIDS-related deaths.
bIncludes deaths due to external factors and causes, such as suicide,
homicide, and accidental deaths.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions,
2000, 2010, and 2018.

2

■

ƒƒJail inmates were twice as likely to commit suicide in
2018 (45 per 100,000 jail inmates) than adults in the
adjusted U.S. resident population (22 per 100,000 adult
U.S. residents).
ƒƒIn 2018, adults in the adjusted U.S. resident population
and local jail inmates had the same homicide mortality
rate: 4 deaths per 100,000.
ƒƒWhile males accounted for the majority of local
jail deaths in 2018, females had a higher mortality
rate (162 per 100,000 female inmates) than males
(152 per 100,000 male inmates) (tables 5 and 7).
ƒƒJail inmates incarcerated for drug offenses had the
lowest mortality rate in 2018 (105 per 100,000)
compared to inmates serving time for other types
of offenses.
ƒƒThe mortality rate among violent offenders was
247 per 100,000 in 2018, a decline of less than 2% from
when the rate peaked in 2017 (251 per 100,000).
ƒƒIn 2018, about 25% of deceased local jail inmates were
black, and 13% were Hispanic (table 6).
ƒƒFrom 2000 to 2018, three times as many jail inmates
who were unconvicted (14,293) died in custody as
convicted inmates (4,663 deaths) (table 9).
ƒƒAbout 46% of inmates who died of homicide from 2000
to 2018 were being held for a violent offense.
ƒƒInmates who were age 55 or older had the highest
mortality rate of all age groups across all causes of
death from 2000 and 2018 (table 10).
ƒƒFrom 2000 to 2018, deceased jail inmates had served a
median of 17 days before death, ranging from a median
of one day for inmates who died of drug or alcohol
intoxication to 137 days for those who died from cancer
(table 11).
ƒƒAlmost half of inmate deaths from 2000 to 2018
occurred in the jails’ medical unit (50%), while an
additional 31% of deaths happened in general
housing areas (table 13).
ƒƒFrom 2000 to 2018, jails with an ADP of fewer than
50 inmates had the highest mortality rates compared to
jails of other sizes (table 16).
ƒƒOf the 2,805 jail jurisdictions that reported mortality
data in 2018, a total of 605 (22%) reported at least
one death (table 17).
ƒƒAs of July 10, 2020, the preliminary number of deaths in
2019 reported by local jails was 1,088 (table 23).

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

FIGURE 4
Adjusted mortality rate per 100,000 U.S. residents, by
cause of death, 2018
Mortality rate per 100,000
50
Adult U.S. residentsa

40

Jail inmates

30
20
10
0

Suicide

Drug/alcohol
intoxication

Accidentb

Homicidec

Note: Excludes persons younger than age 18 and federal prisoners. See
table 4 for crude and adjusted rates.
aTo allow for direct comparisons of mortality rates, BJS adjusted the
U.S. resident population to resemble the sex, race or ethnicity, and age
distribution of the local jail population.
bExcludes causes of death that are unlikely to occur in a jail setting.
cIncludes homicides committed by other inmates, incidental to the use of
force by staff, or resulting from injuries sustained prior to incarceration.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2011–2018,
Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2018, National Inmate Survey,
2007–2009, 2011, and 2012, Survey of Inmates in Local Jails, 2002; and
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health
Statistics, CDC WONDER online database, Underlying Cause of Death
2018 (released in 2020).

FIGURE 5
Number of deaths of local jail inmates, by cause of
death, 2010 and 2018
Number of deaths
600

----- ■ 2010
2018

500

■

400
300
200
100
0

Illness

Suicide

Drug/alcohol Accident
intoxication

Homicidea

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics.
See Methodology. See table 1 for data.
aIncludes homicides committed by other inmates, incidental to the use
of force by staff, or resulting from injuries sustained prior to incarceration.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions,
2010 and 2018.

3

■

List of tables
Table 1. Number of deaths of local jail inmates, by cause of death, 2000 and 2008–2018
Table 2. Percent of deaths of local jail inmates, by cause of death, 2000 and 2008–2018
Table 3. Mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates, by cause of death, 2000 and 2008–2018
Table 4. Crude and adjusted annual mortality rate per 100,000 U.S. residents, by cause of death, 2018
Table 5. Number of deaths of local jail inmates, by decedent characteristics, 2000 and 2008–2018
Table 6. Percent of deaths of local jail inmates, by decedent characteristics, 2000 and 2008–2018
Table 7. Mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates within each demographic group, by decedent
characteristics, 2000 and 2008–2018
Table 8. Number of deaths of local jail inmates and mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates, by
cause of death, 2000–2018
Table 9. Number of deaths of local jail inmates, by cause of death and decedent characteristics,
2000–2018
Table 10. Average annual mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates, by cause of death and
decedent characteristics, 2000–2018
Table 11. Cause of death of local jail inmates, by time served before death, 2000–2018
Table 12. Offenses of decedents, by time served before death, 2000–2018
Table 13. Death location of local jail inmates, by cause of death, 2000–2018
Table 14. Number of deaths and mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates, by hold status,
2014–2018
Table 15. Number of deaths of local jail inmates, by size of jurisdiction, 2000 and 2008–2018
Table 16. Mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates, by size of jurisdiction, 2000 and 2008–2018
Table 17. Number and percent of local jail jurisdictions reporting to Mortality in Correctional
Institutions, by number of deaths reported each year, 2000–2018
Table 18. Number of local jail inmates held on an average day, by state, 2000 and 2008–2018
Table 19. Number of deaths of local jail inmates, by state, 2000 and 2008–2018
Table 20. Mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates, by state, 2000 and 2008–2018
Table 21. Number of local jail jurisdictions reporting to Mortality in Correctional Institutions, by
state, 2000 and 2008–2018
Table 22. Number of local jail jurisdictions reporting one or more deaths to the Mortality in
Correctional Institutions, by state, 2000 and 2008–2018
Table 23. Preliminary number and percent of deaths in local jails, by selected causes of death, 2019
Continued on next page

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

4

■

List of figures
Figure 1. Mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates, by cause of death, 2000–2018
Figure 2. Percent of deaths of local jail inmates due to illness, by type of illness, 2000, 2010, and 2018
Figure 3. Number of jail inmate deaths, 2000, 2010, and 2018
Figure 4. Adjusted mortality rate per 100,000 U.S. residents, by cause of death, 2018
Figure 5. Number of deaths of local jail inmates, by cause of death, 2010 and 2018

List of appendix tables
Appendix table 1. Estimated number of local jail inmates in custody on an average day, by inmate
characteristics, 2000 and 2008–2018
Appendix table 2. Illness mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates within each demographic
group, by decedent characteristics, 2008–2018 (3-year rolling averages)
Appendix table 3. Heart disease mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates within each
demographic group, by decedent characteristics, 2008–2018 (3-year rolling averages)
Appendix table 4. Suicide mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates within each demographic
group, by decedent characteristics, 2008–2018 (3-year rolling averages)
Appendix table 5. Mortality rate from accidents, homicides, or drug or alcohol intoxication per
100,000 local jail inmates within each demographic group, by decedent characteristics, 2008–2018
(3-year rolling averages)
Appendix table 6. Rates for figure 1: Mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates, by cause of death,
2000–2018

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

5

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TAbLE 1
Number of deaths of local jail inmates, by cause of death, 2000 and 2008–2018
Cause of death
All causes
Illness
Heart disease
AIDS-relatedb
Cancer
Respiratory
disease
Liver disease
All other illnessesc
Suicide
Drug/alcohol
intoxication
Accident
Homicided
Other/unknown
Missing

2000
903
516
198
57
31

2008a
959
444
181
32
25

2009
961
490
208
27
47

2010
918
477
242
26
34

2011
888
425
236
13
32

2012
959
527
269
21
44

2013
985
482
260
20
40

2014
1,052
502
242
17
38

2015
1,093
518
256
10
41

2016
1,072
537
298
12
47

2017
1,099
522
281
13
41

2018
1,120
515
290
9
34

31
23
176
289

32
32
142
228

32
30
146
304

18
25
132
305

20
12
112
311

28
28
137
301

30
18
114
328

42
27
136
368

34
20
157
369

26
19
135
332

34
17
136
314

35
9
138
335

37
24
17
17
3

45
15
16
8
203

65
26
23
25
28

54
23
20
13
26

73
27
21
21
10

57
18
22
25
9

72
31
28
18
26

94
25
25
24
14

92
26
30
34
24

112
19
31
23
18

150
22
29
25
37

178
28
27
23
14

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. See Methodology.
aIn 2008, a high number of illness cases were missing cause-of-death information and were classified as missing.
bIncludes persons who died of illness and were identified as HIV-positive or having AIDS at the time of death.
cIncludes other specified illnesses (such as cerebrovascular disease, influenza, and other non-leading natural causes of death) and
unspecified illnesses.
dIncludes homicides committed by other inmates, incidental to the use of force by staff, or resulting from assaults sustained prior to incarceration.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000 and 2008–2018.

TAbLE 2
Percent of deaths of local jail inmates, by cause of death, 2000 and 2008–2018
Cause of death
All causes
Illness
Heart disease
AIDS-relatedb
Cancer
Respiratory
disease
Liver disease
All other illnessesc
Suicide
Drug/alcohol
intoxication
Accident
Homicided
Other/unknown
Missing

2000
100%
57.1%
21.9
6.3
3.4

2008a
100%
46.3%
18.9
3.3
2.6

2009
100%
51.0%
21.6
2.8
4.9

2010
100%
52.0%
26.4
2.8
3.7

2011
100%
47.9%
26.6
1.5
3.6

2012
100%
55.0%
28.1
2.2
4.6

2013
100%
48.9%
26.4
2.0
4.1

2014
100%
47.7%
23.0
1.6
3.6

2015
100%
47.4%
23.4
0.9
3.8

2016
100%
50.1%
27.8
1.1
4.4

2017
100%
47.5%
25.6
1.2
3.7

2018
100%
46.0%
25.9
0.8
3.0

3.4
2.5
19.5
32.0%

3.3
3.3
14.8
23.8%

3.3
3.1
15.2
31.6%

2.0
2.7
14.4
33.2%

2.3
1.4
12.6
35.0%

2.9
2.9
14.3
31.4%

3.0
1.8
11.6
33.3%

4.0
2.6
12.9
35.0%

3.1
1.8
14.4
33.8%

2.4
1.8
12.6
31.0%

3.1
1.5
12.4
28.6%

3.1
0.8
12.3
29.9%

4.1%
2.7%
1.9%
1.9%
0.3%

4.7%
1.6%
1.7%
0.8%
21.2%

6.8%
2.7%
2.4%
2.6%
2.9%

5.9%
2.5%
2.2%
1.4%
2.8%

8.2%
3.0%
2.4%
2.4%
1.1%

5.9%
1.9%
2.3%
2.6%
0.9%

7.3%
3.1%
2.8%
1.8%
2.6%

8.9%
2.4%
2.4%
2.3%
1.3%

8.4%
2.4%
2.7%
3.1%
2.2%

10.4%
1.8%
2.9%
2.1%
1.7%

13.6%
2.0%
2.6%
2.3%
3.4%

15.9%
2.5%
2.4%
2.1%
1.3%

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding. See Methodology.
aIn 2008, a high number of illness cases were missing cause-of-death information and were classified as missing.
bIncludes persons who died of illness and were identified as HIV-positive or having AIDS at the time of death.
cIncludes other specified illnesses (such as cerebrovascular disease, influenza, and other non-leading natural causes of death) and
unspecified illnesses.
dIncludes homicides committed by other inmates, incidental to the use of force by staff, or resulting from assaults sustained prior to incarceration.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000 and 2008–2018.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

6

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TAbLE 3
Mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates, by cause of death, 2000 and 2008–2018
Cause of death
All causes
Illness
Heart disease
AIDS-relatedb
Cancer
Respiratory
disease
Liver disease
All other illnessesc
Suicide
Drug/alcohol
intoxication
Accident
Homicided
Other/unknown
Missing

2000
151
86
33
10
5

2008a
123
57
23
4
3

2009
128
66
28
4
6

2010
125
65
33
4
5

2011
123
59
33
2
4

2012
129
71
36
3
6

2013
138
68
36
3
6

2014
144
69
33
2
5

2015
154
73
36
1
6

2016
149
75
42
2
7

2017
151
72
39
2
6

2018
154
71
40
1!
5

5
4
29
48

4
4
18
29

4
4
20
41

2
3
18
42

3
2
16
43

4
4
18
40

4
3
16
46

6
4
19
50

5
3
22
52

4
3
19
46

5
2
19
43

5
1!
19
46

6
2
2
1!
26

9
3
3
3
4

7
3
3
2
4

10
4
3
3
1

10
4
4
3
4

13
3
3
3
2

13
4
4
5
3

16
3
4
3
3

21
3
4
3
5

24
4
4
3
2

6
4
3
3
1!

8
2
3
3
1!

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. Mortality rates are per 100,000 inmates held in the custody of local jails.
Mortality rates are based on the annual number of deaths and the average daily population (ADP). In 2000, the ADP was estimated by taking the
average of January 1 and December 31 inmate population counts. See Methodology.
! Interpret with caution. Estimate is based on 10 or fewer cases, or coefficient of variation is greater than 50%. See Methodology – Interpreting rates
among small populations, p. 29.
aIn 2008, a high number of illness cases were missing cause-of-death information and were classified as missing.
bIncludes persons who died of illness and were identified as HIV-positive or having AIDS at the time of death.
cIncludes other specified illnesses (such as cerebrovascular disease, influenza, and other non-leading natural causes of death) and
unspecified illnesses.
dIncludes homicides committed by other inmates, incidental to the use of force by staff, or resulting from assaults sustained prior to incarceration.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000 and 2008–2018.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

7

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TAbLE 4
Crude and adjusted mortality rate per 100,000 U.S. residents, by cause of death, 2018
Cause of death
All causes
Illness
Heart disease
AIDS-relatedc
Cancer
Respiratory disease
Liver disease
All other illnessesd
Suicide
Drug/alcohol intoxication
Accidente
Homicidef

Crude rate per
100,000 adult
U.S. residents
1,110
1,040
265
2
242
114
23
395
19
27
22
2

Adjusted rate per
100,000 adult
U.S. residentsa
322
250
69
4
59
20
11
89
22
38
9
4

Rate per 100,000
local jail inmatesb
146
69
39
1!
4
5
1!
19
45
24
4
4

Note: Rates exclude persons age 17 or younger. U.S. general population mortality rate is per 100,000 adult U.S.
residents and is based on death certificates from all U.S. residents in 2018, including incarcerated persons. The
jail mortality rate is per 100,000 inmates held in the custody of local jails and is based on the annual number of
deaths and average daily population.
! Interpret with caution. Estimate is based on 10 or fewer cases, or coefficient of variation is greater than 50%. See
Methodology – Interpreting rates among small populations, p. 29.
aThe sex, race or ethnicity, and age composition of the U.S. resident population differs from that of local jail
inmates. To allow for direct comparisons of mortality rates, BJS adjusted the U.S. resident population to resemble
the sex, race or ethnicity, and age distribution of the local jail population.
bMay differ from mortality rates presented elsewhere in this report due to the removal of local jail inmates
who are age 17 or younger from both the numerator (deaths) and denominator (local jail population), and the
exclusion of deaths for which cause of death was unknown or missing. These changes were made solely to table 4
to make the mortality rates comparable to those in the U.S. resident population.
cIncludes persons who died of illness and were identified as HIV-positive or having AIDS at the time of death.
dIncludes other specified illnesses (such as cerebrovascular disease, influenza, and other non-leading natural
causes of death) and unspecified illnesses.
eBJS excluded causes of death that are unlikely to occur in a jail setting, including motor vehicle accidents;
homicides due to explosives or firearms not related to law enforcement, motor vehicle assault, or neglect; and
firearm discharges not related to law enforcement.
fIncludes homicides committed by other inmates, incidental to the use of force by staff, or resulting from assaults
sustained prior to incarceration.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2011–2018, Mortality in Correctional Institutions,
2018, National Inmate Survey, 2007–2009 and 2011–2012, Survey of Inmates in Local Jails, 2002; and Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, CDC WONDER online database, Underlying
Cause of Death 2018 (released in 2020).

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

8

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TAbLE 5
Number of deaths of local jail inmates, by decedent characteristics, 2000 and 2008–2018
Characteristic
2000
Total
903
Sex
Male
813
Female
90
Race/ethnicity
Whitea
452
Blacka
305
Hispanic
118
American Indian/
9
Alaska Nativea
Asian/Native Hawaiian/
Other Pacific Islander/
two or more racesa
8
Age
17 or younger
8
18–24
89
25–34
184
35–44
264
45–54
239
55 or older
115
Legal status
Convictedb
258
Unconvictedc
627
Time served
7 days or less
328
8–30
167
31–60
111
61–120
115
121–180
56
181 or more
119
Offense
Violent
355
Property
168
Drug
146
208
Public order/otherd

2008
959

2009
961

2010
918

2011
888

2012
959

2013
985

2014
1,052

2015
1,093

2016
1,072

2017
1,099

2018
1,120

840
119

852
109

804
114

778
110

837
122

858
127

900
152

939
154

919
153

933
165

940
180

512
310
107

534
274
109

516
265
90

525
234
105

555
270
100

523
278
145

622
273
118

656
256
141

624
263
137

651
271
131

660
276
149

11

22

11

6

13

12

13

14

18

15

14

16

10

12

13

12

10

19

12

17

11

14

3
86
167
246
275
178

3
87
175
235
259
193

3
80
187
201
253
172

2
81
206
198
227
171

2
83
189
198
273
209

3
75
215
213
259
202

2
87
229
231
263
233

2
80
251
230
269
247

2
79
240
218
261
258

3
82
258
235
243
259

0
68
236
281
229
301

201
753

247
694

232
664

221
662

255
698

229
739

258
787

266
814

256
799

266
810

282
829

349
164
106
122
68
128

365
167
99
118
51
145

345
176
91
92
58
133

346
172
97
90
55
125

350
200
99
115
58
132

390
163
87
124
45
157

425
218
106
96
51
145

444
209
112
112
59
143

428
188
107
117
68
149

441
209
101
113
67
147

450
227
88
118
63
169

301
185
165
241

348
180
130
243

341
170
122
224

349
152
113
234

350
185
151
235

346
196
132
252

386
202
161
271

376
226
176
265

368
210
167
268

411
215
146
265

404
213
179
289

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. Details may not sum to totals due to missing data. See Methodology.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
bIncludes inmates who returned on a probation or parole violation.
cIncludes inmates whose status was marked as other or was unspecified.
dPublic order offenses include weapons offenses, DUI/DWI, court offenses, commercialized vice, and morals and decency offenses. Other offenses
include holds and holds for other jurisdictions and probation and parole violations.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000 and 2008–2018.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

9

■

TAbLE 6
Percent of deaths of local jail inmates, by decedent characteristics, 2000 and 2008–2018
Characteristic
Total
Sex
Male
Female
Race/ethnicity
Whitea
Blacka
Hispanic
American Indian/
Alaska Nativea
Asian/Native Hawaiian/
Other Pacific Islander/
two or more racesa
Age
17 or younger
18–24
25–34
35–44
45–54
55 or older
Legal status
Convictedb
Unconvictedc
Time served
7 days or less
8–30
31–60
61–120
121–180
181 or more
Offense
Violent
Property
Drug
Public order/otherd

2000
100%

2008
100%

2009
100%

2010
100%

2011
100%

2012
100%

2013
100%

2014
100%

2015
100%

2016
100%

2017
100%

2018
100%

90.0%
10.0

87.6%
12.4

88.7%
11.3

87.6%
12.4

87.6%
12.4

87.3%
12.7

87.1%
12.9

85.6%
14.4

85.9%
14.1

85.7%
14.3

85.0%
15.0

83.9%
16.1

50.7%
34.2
13.2

53.6%
32.4
11.2

56.3%
28.9
11.5

57.7%
29.6
10.1

59.5%
26.5
11.9

58.4%
28.4
10.5

54.0%
28.7
15.0

59.5%
26.1
11.3

60.8%
23.7
13.1

58.9%
24.8
12.9

60.3%
25.1
12.1

59.3%
24.8
13.4

1.0

1.2

2.3

1.2

0.7

1.4

1.2

1.2

1.3

1.7

1.4

1.3

0.9

1.7

1.1

1.3

1.5

1.3

1.0

1.8

1.1

1.6

1.0

1.3

0.9%
9.9
20.5
29.4
26.6
12.8

0.3%
9.0
17.5
25.8
28.8
18.6

0.3%
9.1
18.4
24.7
27.2
20.3

0.3%
8.9
20.9
22.4
28.2
19.2

0.2%
9.2
23.3
22.4
25.6
19.3

0.2%
8.7
19.8
20.8
28.6
21.9

0.3%
7.8
22.2
22.0
26.8
20.9

0.2%
8.3
21.9
22.1
25.2
22.3

0.2%
7.4
23.3
21.3
24.9
22.9

0.2%
7.5
22.7
20.6
24.7
24.4

0.3%
7.6
23.9
21.8
22.5
24.0

0.0%
6.1
21.2
25.2
20.5
27.0

29.2%
70.8

21.1%
78.9

26.2%
73.8

25.9%
74.1

25.0%
75.0

26.8%
73.2

23.7%
76.3

24.7%
75.3

24.6%
75.4

24.3%
75.7

24.7%
75.3

25.4%
74.6

36.6%
18.6
12.4
12.8
6.3
13.3

37.2%
17.5
11.3
13.0
7.3
13.7

38.6%
17.7
10.5
12.5
5.4
15.3

38.5%
19.7
10.2
10.3
6.5
14.9

39.1%
19.4
11.0
10.2
6.2
14.1

36.7%
21.0
10.4
12.1
6.1
13.8

40.4%
16.9
9.0
12.8
4.7
16.3

40.8%
20.9
10.2
9.2
4.9
13.9

41.1%
19.4
10.4
10.4
5.5
13.3

40.5%
17.8
10.1
11.1
6.4
14.1

40.9%
19.4
9.4
10.5
6.2
13.6

40.4%
20.4
7.9
10.6
5.7
15.2

40.5%
19.2
16.6
23.7

33.7%
20.7
18.5
27.0

38.6%
20.0
14.4
27.0

39.8%
19.8
14.2
26.1

41.2%
17.9
13.3
27.6

38.0%
20.1
16.4
25.5

37.4%
21.2
14.3
27.2

37.8%
19.8
15.8
26.6

36.0%
21.7
16.9
25.4

36.3%
20.7
16.5
26.5

39.6%
20.7
14.1
25.6

37.2%
19.6
16.5
26.6

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. Percentages are based on non-missing data. Details may not sum to totals due
to rounding. See Methodology.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
bIncludes inmates who returned on a probation or parole violation.
cIncludes inmates whose status was marked as other or was unspecified.
dPublic order offenses include weapons offenses, DUI/DWI, court offenses, commercialized vice, and morals and decency offenses. Other offenses
include holds and holds for other jurisdictions and probation and parole violations.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000 and 2008–2018.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

10

■

TAbLE 7
Mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates within each demographic group, by decedent characteristics, 2000 and
2008–2018
Characteristic
2000
Total
151
Sex
Male
153
Female
132
Race/ethnicity
Whitea
210
Blacka
127
Hispanic
107
52
Othera,b
Age
17 or younger
109 !
18–24
53
25–34
96
35–44
169
45–54
397
55 or older
871
Legal status
98
Convictedc
Unconvictedd
187
Offense
Violent
233
Property
115
Drug
99
Public order/othere 136

2008
123

2009
128

2010
125

2011
123

2012
129

2013
138

2014
144

2015
154

2016
149

2017
151

2018
154

124
120

130
119

126
124

124
121

130
123

140
128

144
146

154
149

150
143

151
149

152
162

185
109
70
41

202
101
71
55

203
102
58
36

212
94
67
28

221
108
60
33

213
131
91
23

239
118
75
39

251
114
95
33

240
119
87
44

236
123
85
34

242
130
96
33

39 !
41
67
138
260
668

43 !
43
72
142
257
705

41 !
41
77
127
252
616

35 !
43
84
129
226
597

37 !
43
73
128
259
678

67 !
41
87
144
256
685

49 !
47
91
152
254
771

57 !
44
102
155
266
837

53 !
43
97
146
256
868

85 !
44
102
155
235
857

0
36
94
185
222
998

70
154

87
149

81
148

78
152

87
155

84
168

95
172

100
183

102
171

103
172

115
172

171
100
85
108

211
102
69
111

210
96
68
105

216
86
65
112

209
99
87
109

216
109
79
122

235
110
94
128

235
126
106
129

228
116
99
129

251
117
86
126

247
116
105
137

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. Mortality rates are per 100,000 inmates held in the custody of local jails.
Mortality rate are based on the annual number of deaths and the average daily population (ADP). In 2000, the ADP was estimated by taking the
average of January 1 and December 31 one-day inmate population counts. See Methodology.
! Interpret with caution. Estimate is based on 10 or fewer cases, or coefficient of variation is greater than 50%. See Methodology – Interpreting rates
among small populations, p. 29.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
bIncludes Asians, Native Hawaiians, Other Pacific Islanders, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and persons of two or more races. Due to the small
number of deaths and local jail populations of American Indians and Alaska Natives and Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Other Pacific Islanders, mortality
rates for these populations are unstable and not shown.
cIncludes inmates who returned on a probation or parole violation.
dIncludes inmates whose status was marked as other or was unspecified.
ePublic order offenses include weapons offenses, DUI/DWI, court offenses, commercialized vice, and morals and decency offenses. Other offenses
include holds and holds for other jurisdictions and probation and parole violations.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2000 and 2008–2018; Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000 and 2008–2018; National
Inmate Survey, 2007–2009 and 2011–2012; and Survey of Inmates in Local Jails, 2002.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

11

■

TAbLE 8
Number of deaths of local jail inmates and mortality
rate per 100,000 local jail inmates, by cause of death,
2000–2018
Cause of death
All causes
Illness
Heart disease
AIDS-relateda
Cancer
Respiratory disease
Liver disease
All other illnessesb
Suicide
Drug/alcohol intoxication
Accident
Homicidec
Other/unknown
Missing

Number
19,180
9,701
4,544
613
698
553
461
2,832
5,853
1,554
490
444
650
488

Percent
100%
50.6%
23.7
3.2
3.6
2.9
2.4
14.8
30.5%
8.1%
2.6%
2.3%
3.4%
2.5%

Mortality rate
per 100,000
local jail inmates
140
71
33
4
5
4
3
21
43
11
4
3
5
4

Note: Data may have been revised from previously statistics. Details
may not sum to totals due to rounding. Mortality rates are per
100,000 inmates held in the custody of local jails. Mortality rates
are based on the annual number of deaths and the average daily
population (ADP). In 2000, the ADP was estimated by taking the average
of January 1 and December 31 one-day inmate population counts.
See Methodology.
aIncludes persons who died of illness and were identified as HIV-positive
or having AIDS at the time of death.
bIncludes other specified illnesses (such as cerebrovascular disease,
influenza, and other non-leading natural causes of death) and
unspecified illnesses.
cIncludes homicides committed by other inmates, incidental to
the use of force by staff, or resulting from assaults sustained prior
to incarceration.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions,
2000–2018.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

12

■

TAbLE 9
Number of deaths of local jail inmates, by cause of death and decedent characteristics, 2000–2018
Characteristic
All causesa
Total
19,180
Sex
Male
16,739
Female
2,434
Race/ethnicity
Whitee
10,550
5,680
Blacke
Hispanic
2,298
American Indian/
Alaska Nativee
242
Asian/Native Hawaiian/
Other Pacific Islander/
two or more racese
216
Age
17 or younger
73
18–24
1,702
25–34
3,924
35–44
4,836
45–54
4,954
55 or older
3,528
Legal status
4,663
Convictedf
Unconvictedg
14,293
Offense
Violent
6,734
Property
3,720
Drug
3,020
Public order/otherh
4,814

Illness
Heart AIDSRespiratory Liver
All other
disease relatedb Cancer disease
disease illnessesc
4,544
613
698
553
461
2,832

Drug/alcohol
Suicide intoxication Accident Homicided
5,853
1,554
490
444

4,034
510

540
73

634
64

452
101

416
45

2,300
531

5,311
541

1,214
340

441
49

438
6

2,202
1,843
395

109
422
79

319
279
83

262
212
67

249
99
103

1,293
1,071
393

4,172
776
692

974
332
208

291
126
59

170
179
82

46

1

5

7

6

26

112

23

4

3

43

2

10

2

3

35

84

11

9

8

2
123
454
967
1,522
1,470

1
13
104
236
199
57

0
12
45
94
223
324

1
25
75
132
155
163

0
3
26
85
227
119

5
145
429
697
901
651

53
978
1,835
1,661
960
357

5
177
524
464
294
87

1
51
104
134
122
77

2
82
113
91
89
66

1,356
3,165

160
448

211
485

165
383

133
328

751
2,069

1,046
4,784

363
1,184

141
348

103
334

1,402
850
760
1,330

156
193
137
112

333
112
101
133

171
110
112
133

127
85
77
158

809
610
543
735

2,807
1,092
593
1,155

277
295
427
501

133
89
75
172

197
83
51
95

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. Details may not sum to totals due to missing data. See Methodology.
aIncludes other causes not specified and missing and unknown causes.
bIncludes persons who died of illness and were identified as HIV-positive or having AIDS at the time of death.
cIncludes other specified illnesses (such as cerebrovascular disease, influenza, and other non-leading natural causes of death) and unspecified illnesses.
dIncludes homicides committed by other inmates, incidental to the use of force by staff, and resulting from assaults sustained prior to incarceration.
eExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
fIncludes inmates who returned on a probation or parole violation.
gIncludes inmates whose status was marked as other or was unspecified.
hPublic order offenses include weapons offenses, DUI/DWI, court offenses, commercialized vice, and morals and decency offenses. Other offenses include
holds and holds for jurisdiction and probation and parole violations.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000–2018.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

13

■

TAbLE 10
Average annual mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates, by cause of death and decedent characteristics,
2000–2018
Characteristic
All causesa
Total
140
Sex
Male
141
Female
136
Race/ethnicity
Whitee
216
118
Blacke
Hispanic
84
Othere,f
38
Age
17 or younger
65
18–24
47
25–34
87
35–44
155
45–54
279
55 or older
756
Legal status
Convictedg
89
Unconvictedh
169
Offense
Violent
212
Property
111
Drug
91
Public order/otheri
126

Illness
Heart AIDSRespiratory Liver
All other
disease relatedb Cancer disease
disease illnessesc
33
5
5
4
3
21

Drug/alcohol
Suicide intoxication Accident Homicided
43
11
4
3

34
29

5
4

5
4

4
6

4
3

19
30

45
30

10
19

4
3

4
<1 !

45
38
14
7

2
9
3
<1 !

7
6
3
1

5
4
2
<1 !

5
2
4
<1 !

27
22
14
5

86
16
25
16

20
7
8
3

6
3
2
1

4
4
3
<1

2!
3
10
31
86
315

<1 !
<1
2
8
11
12

0
<1
1
3
13
69

<1 !
<1
2
4
9
35

0
<1 !
<1
3
13
26

5!
4
10
22
51
139

47
27
41
53
54
77

5!
5
12
15
17
19

<1 !
1
2
4
7
17

2!
2
3
3
5
14

26
38

3
5

4
6

3
5

3
4

14
25

20
57

7
14

3
4

2
4

44
25
23
35

5
6
4
3

11
3
3
4

5
3
3
4

4
3
2
4

26
18
16
19

88
33
18
30

9
9
13
13

4
3
2
5

6
3
2
3

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. Mortality rates are per 100,000 inmates held in the custody of local jails.
Mortality rates are based on the annual number of deaths and the average daily population (ADP). In 2000, ADP was estimated by taking the average
of January 1 and December 31 one-day inmate population counts. See Methodology.
! Interpret with caution. Estimate is based on 10 or fewer cases, or coefficient of variation is greater than 50%. See Methodology – Interpreting rates
among small populations, p. 29.
aIncludes other causes not specified and missing and unknown causes.
bIncludes persons who died of illness and were identified as HIV-positive or having AIDS at the time of death.
cIncludes other specified illnesses (such as cerebrovascular disease, influenza, and other non-leading natural causes of death) and unspecified illnesses.
dIncludes homicides committed by other inmates, incidental to the use of force by staff, or resulting from assaults sustained prior to incarceration.
eExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
fIncludes Asians, Native Hawaiians, Other Pacific Islanders, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and persons of two or more races. Due to the small
number of deaths and local jail populations of American Indians and Alaska Natives and Asians/Native Hawaiians/Other Pacific Islanders, mortality
rates for these populations are unstable and not shown.
gIncludes inmates who returned on a probation or parole violation.
hIncludes inmates whose status was marked as other or was unspecified.
iPublic order offenses include weapons offenses, DUI/DWI, court offenses, commercialized vice, and morals and decency offenses. Other offenses
include holds and holds for jurisdiction and probation and parole violations.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2000–2018; Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000–2018; National Inmate Survey,
2007–2009 and 2011–2012; and Survey of Inmates in Local Jails, 2002.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

14

■

TAbLE 11
Cause of death of local jail inmates, by time served
before death, 2000–2018
Cause of death
Total
Illness
Heart disease
AIDS-relatedb
Cancer
Respiratory disease
Liver disease
All other illnessesc
Suicide
Drug/alcohol intoxication
Accident
Homicided

Number
19,180
9,701
4,544
613
698
553
461
2,832
5,853
1,554
490
444

Median time
served (in days)a
17
33
25
82
137
40
47
22
9
1
10
29

Note: Details may not sum to totals due to missing data. See Methodology.
aThe statistical median represents the value at which 50% of the values
are larger and 50% are smaller in a sequence of numbers.
bIncludes persons who died of illness and were identified as HIV-positive
or having AIDS at the time of death.
cIncludes other specified illnesses (such as cerebrovascular disease,
influenza, and other non-leading natural causes of death) and
unspecified illnesses.
dIncludes homicides committed by other inmates, incidental to
the use of force by staff, or resulting from assaults sustained prior
to incarceration.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions,
2000–2018.

TAbLE 12
Offenses of decedents, by time served before death,
2000–2018
Offense
Total
Violent
Murderb
Kidnapping
Rape/sexual assault
Robbery
Assault
Other
Property
Burglary
Larceny/theft
Motor vehicle theft
Arson
Fraud
Drug
Possession
Trafficking
Other/unknown
Public order/other
Weapons offense
Obstruction of justice
DUI/DWI
Traffic offense
excluding DUI/DWI
Probation/parole
violation and escape
Other

Percent
100%
36.8%
7.1
1.9
6.8
3.9
14.5
2.6
20.3%
5.2
10.4
0.9
0.5
3.2
16.5%
8.3
6.0
2.3
26.3%
1.2
5.0
3.9

Median
time served
(in days)a
17
40
134
44
77
51
16
13
16
32
11
13
42
16
13
8
33
7
8
13
7
6

501

2.7

4

1,472
986

8.0
5.4

12
4

Number
19,180
6,734
1,296
348
1,242
716
2,648
484
3,720
954
1,909
173
98
586
3,020
1,517
1,089
414
4,814
221
912
722

Note: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding or missing data.
See Methodology.
aThe statistical median represents the value at which 50% of the values
are larger and 50% are smaller in a sequence of numbers.
bIncludes non-negligent manslaughter.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions,
2000–2018.

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TAbLE 13
Death location of local jail inmates, by cause of death, 2000–2018
Location
Total
General housing
Segregation unit
Medical unitd
Mental health unite
In transit
Elsewhere

All
100%
30.6
10.7
49.6
1.6
1.1
6.4

Illness
Heart AIDSRespiratory Liver
All other
disease relateda Cancer disease
disease illnessesb
100% 100% 100%
100%
100%
100%
28.8
4.4
3.0
15.0
9.4
20.1
6.3
2.0
2.1
4.0
3.7
6.7
56.0
89.7
89.0
73.0
80.0
65.3
1.5
0.5
1.6
1.6
0.9
2.0
1.6
0.5
0.3
1.1
0.2
1.3
5.7
3.0
4.0
5.3
5.9
4.6

Drug/alcohol
Suicide intoxication Accident Homicidec
100%
100%
100%
100%
46.3
36.0
17.2
32.0
20.6
9.8
5.3
4.8
25.5
40.3
53.4
49.7
1.7
0.9
2.7
4.1
0.5
1.3
3.7
1.4
5.5
11.7
17.8
8.0

Note: Percentages are based on non-missing data. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding. See Methodology.
aIncludes persons who died of illness and were identified as HIV-positive or having AIDS at the time of death.
bIncludes other specified illnesses (such as cerebrovascular disease, influenza, and other non-leading natural causes of death) and unspecified illnesses.
cIncludes homicides committed by other inmates, incidental to the use of force by staff, or resulting from assaults sustained prior to incarceration.
dIncludes the special medical unit within the jail facility and outside medical centers.
eIncludes the special mental health services unit within the jail facility and outside mental health centers. Mental health unit classification was not
collected prior to 2009.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000–2018.

TAbLE 14
Number of deaths and mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates, by hold status,
2014–2018
Hold status
Total
Hold statusa
U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement
U.S. Marshals Service
Otherb
No hold or unknown

Number of
deaths, 2014–18
5,436
582
33
125
431
4,854

Sum of annual
Mortality rate per
average daily
100,000 local jail inmates,
populations, 2014–18 by hold status, 2014–18
3,614,768
150
636,534
91
77,261
138,459
420,814
2,978,234

43
90
102
163

Note: Average daily population was calculated for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Marshals
Service, and other authorities based on the proportion of the confined population held for each authority on
December 31.
aIncludes contractual, temporary, courtesy, or ad hoc holds for federal, local, or state authorities. A jail inmate may
have multiple hold statuses.
bIncludes state or federal prison, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or any other jail jurisdiction.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2014–2018.

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TAbLE 15
Number of deaths of local jail inmates, by size of jurisdiction, 2000 and 2008–2018
Jail jurisdiction
size (average
daily population)
Total
49 or fewer inmates
50–99
100–249
250–499
500–999
1,000–2,499
2,500 or more

2000
903
63
66
80
87
139
186
282

2008
959
47
46
108
111
121
238
286

2009
961
49
55
121
111
120
237
268

2010
918
60
45
122
95
121
237
234

2011
888
51
51
116
125
133
207
186

2012
959
66
60
89
144
148
234
217

2013
985
58
61
138
129
151
205
243

2014
1,052
68
70
115
153
158
263
225

2015
1,093
61
54
141
156
183
268
230

2016
1,072
59
59
150
150
177
264
213

2017
1,099
51
58
151
135
193
293
218

2018
1,120
40
62
156
176
190
295
201

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. Details may not sum to totals due to missing data. In 2000, the average daily
population was estimated by taking the average of January 1 and December 31 one-day inmate population counts. See Methodology.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000 and 2008–2018.

TAbLE 16
Mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates, by size of jurisdiction, 2000 and 2008–2018
Jail jurisdiction
size (average
daily population)
Total
49 or fewer
50–99
100–249
250–499
500–999
1,000–2,499
2,500 or more

2000
151
229
170
105
115
142
154
175

2008
123
222
119
119
106
96
124
139

2009
128
236
146
132
108
99
132
138

2010
125
285
125
129
96
94
133
135

2011
123
241
144
123
123
105
121
109

2012
129
308
166
95
129
114
129
127

2013
138
289
172
149
126
118
120
148

2014
144
336
189
119
138
122
151
139

2015
154
295
147
142
145
144
156
156

2016
149
294
164
143
136
132
157
148

2017
151
257
160
147
116
142
169
151

2018
154
208
175
153
142
138
171
146

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. Mortality rates are per 100,000 inmates held in the custody of local jails.
Mortality rates are based on the annual number of deaths and the average daily population (ADP). In 2000, the ADP was estimated by taking the
average of January 1 and December 31 one-day inmate population counts. See Methodology.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000 and 2008–2018.

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TAbLE 17
Number and percent of local jail jurisdictions reporting to Mortality in Correctional Institutions, by number of
deaths reported each year, 2000–2018

Year
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
Annual average,
2000–2018

Number of
reporting
jurisdictions
2,984
2,969
2,954
2,937
2,920
2,894
2,866
2,845
2,831
2,742
2,747
2,738
2,797
2,695
2,777
2,789
2,784
2,808
2,805
2,836

Number of jail jurisdictions reporting deaths
0 deaths
1 death
2 or more deaths
Number Percent
Number Percent
Number Percent
2,550
85.5%
288
9.7%
146
4.9%
2,485
83.7
331
11.1
153
5.2
2,470
83.6
331
11.2
153
5.2
2,427
82.6
349
11.9
161
5.5
2,402
82.3
367
12.6
151
5.2
2,372
82.0
362
12.5
160
5.5
2,327
81.2
368
12.8
171
6.0
2,312
81.3
349
12.3
184
6.5
2,329
82.3
346
12.2
156
5.5
2,239
81.7
332
12.1
171
6.2
2,245
81.7
342
12.4
160
5.8
2,217
81.0
350
12.8
171
6.2
2,258
80.7
373
13.3
166
5.9
2,152
79.9
370
13.7
173
6.4
2,197
79.1
398
14.3
182
6.6
2,199
78.8
398
14.3
192
6.9
2,213
79.5
374
13.4
197
7.1
2,231
79.5
377
13.4
200
7.1
2,200
78.4
383
13.7
222
7.9
2,307

81.3%

357

12.6%

172

6.1%

Median jail jurisdiction
daily population, by
number of deaths reported*
0 deaths 1 death 2 or more deaths
41
146
1,076
45
151
995
50
167
1,208
52
166
1,125
55
231
1,246
58
211
1,167
60
191
1,324
60
218
1,190
63
246
1,353
63
219
1,269
64
197
1,278
62
228
1,137
64
253
1,121
64
207
1,048
65
195
1,056
62
232
986
67
204
955
66
220
1,022
63
220
945
58

205

1,121

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding. Includes all jails that reported
data on populations or deaths. See Methodology.
*Median is calculated using the average daily population of all jails with that number of deaths.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000–2018.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

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TAbLE 18
Number of local jail inmates held on an average day, by state, 2000 and 2008–2018
State
Total
Alabama
Alaska*
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

2000
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
597,908 778,716 747,932 732,013 720,879 745,238 712,678 729,141 711,625 717,456 728,968 727,578
12,951 16,156 13,868 15,054 15,333 14,944 13,333 13,502 13,393 14,074 15,150 16,162
60
52
70
64
73
104
82
85
76
72
72
57
10,859 17,844 15,043 13,242 13,467 14,542 14,355 13,961 13,764 13,154 13,237 12,991
5,271
7,373
7,453
7,420
7,189
7,447
6,750
7,824
8,098
8,183
8,802
9,034
72,508 83,493 81,629 74,808 71,759 79,491 81,696 82,116 75,180 76,131 76,650 75,570
9,179 13,111 13,207 12,703 11,779 12,396 12,323 11,947 12,121 12,910 12,574 13,393
1,656
2,987
3,089
3,037
3,011
2,455
2,288
1,969
1,814
1,858
1,836
2,047
49,358 66,250 61,070 58,313 57,330 56,412 52,710 53,401 53,739 52,544 54,681 55,958
33,332 47,343 46,125 46,811 44,034 44,322 36,633 40,974 38,140 40,376 41,997 39,650
2,668
3,938
3,750
3,529
3,718
3,728
3,535
3,744
3,722
3,803
4,154
4,288
17,452 20,966 19,601 20,224 20,666 21,376 22,173 19,954 18,791 18,456 17,272 16,115
12,760 17,811 18,302 17,703 17,342 17,533 16,146 16,765 16,306 18,278 19,439 20,641
3,046
4,085
3,891
3,993
4,099
4,264
4,051
4,243
4,477
4,427
4,899
4,871
7,544
7,579
8,095
5,093
7,668
6,992
7,692
7,236
6,961
7,100
7,453
7,279
11,492 18,070 17,803 17,460 18,252 19,537 17,995 20,602 20,776 22,735 23,789 24,877
22,744 29,060 29,572 32,199 31,022 32,651 27,151 29,667 29,181 29,192 29,177 29,781
1,297
1,598
1,571
1,062
1,322
1,299
1,073
1,371
1,343
1,352
1,278
1,685
10,471 13,577 12,205 12,398 12,423 12,233 12,063 11,164
9,804
8,879
9,587
8,992
9,427 13,309 13,184 10,724 10,326
9,616 10,471 10,238 10,543 10,775 10,454
9,060
15,869 17,676 17,001 16,457 16,541 17,089 17,203 16,898 15,480 16,476 16,496 16,519
4,958
7,105
6,651
6,733
6,468
6,423
6,524
6,827
7,188
7,145
7,293
7,135
9,885 11,057
9,732 10,501 10,601 12,620 11,575 12,669 14,239 14,368 12,923 12,975
7,588 11,653 11,503 10,646 11,500 12,375 11,757 11,259 11,431 11,754 13,013 12,886
1,291
1,781
1,718
1,950
1,032
1,968
2,795
2,317
2,473
2,511
2,580
2,516
2,140
3,135
3,427
3,391
3,406
3,442
3,530
3,459
3,560
3,669
3,900
4,001
5,216
7,531
7,737
7,410
7,083
6,922
6,902
7,070
6,841
7,004
7,189
7,738
887
2,024
2,108
2,103
2,063
2,143
2,012
2,200
1,830
1,868
1,799
1,539
15,102 17,824 16,426 15,955 15,280 16,193 16,398 14,997 14,333 13,601 10,655
9,628
5,918
9,089
8,273
8,886
8,297
8,408
8,474
8,256
8,370
7,338
6,713
6,162
27,403 30,304 29,877 30,122 29,793 28,259 26,959 25,946 25,540 22,345 20,800 21,637
12,276 19,382 16,470 18,601 18,288 19,168 18,825 18,964 18,107 18,818 19,920 20,342
619
962
897
947
1,111
1,190
1,088
1,418
1,449
1,382
1,697
1,445
16,118 19,254 19,944 17,454 17,788 18,704 18,384 19,110 18,612 17,576 20,385 20,892
7,228 10,062 10,493
8,632
8,654
9,544
9,447 12,484 12,455 12,593 10,207
9,579
6,685
6,304
5,803
5,890
5,872
7,844
5,678
5,985
5,887
5,887
7,846
5,758
28,248 37,350 38,010 35,444 36,290 37,519 37,334 37,765 36,278 35,086 34,767 32,760
8,752 13,634 12,654 12,236 11,970 12,232 11,592 11,569 11,256 10,086 11,706 11,794
1,163
1,417
1,626
1,572
1,505
1,746
1,845
1,732
1,768
1,880
2,033
2,147
20,168 26,446 25,708 22,875 23,521 24,292 24,882 24,553 26,989 28,239 29,110 29,920
57,999 69,392 67,513 67,297 66,599 67,815 63,724 64,614 64,835 67,156 66,506 68,445
5,378
6,929
6,928
7,267
7,194
7,288
6,446
7,441
7,110
7,137
7,695
7,460
20,021 28,824 28,276 29,003 27,313 30,013 27,783 29,984 26,782 27,910 28,965 28,294
8,638 13,461 13,076 12,350 12,988 12,008 10,920 12,264 11,832 12,034 12,654 12,253
2,824
4,336
3,879
4,145
3,882
4,351
4,466
4,292
4,290
4,356
4,690
5,251
12,986 15,401 12,157 14,143 13,965 12,835 12,625 12,501 12,621 12,932 13,464 13,795
924
1,694
1,620
1,567
1,494
1,536
1,582
1,587
1,522
1,562
1,335
1,440

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont each operate a
combined prison/jail system. For inmate population data, see Mortality in State and Federal Prisons, 2001-2018 – Statistical Tables (NCJ 255970, BJS, April
2021). See Methodology.
*Prisons and jails form one integrated system. Counts include only data for 15 locally operated jails and exclude data for state-operated prisons
and jails.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000 and 2008–2018.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

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TAbLE 19
Number of deaths of local jail inmates, by state, 2000 and 2008–2018
State
Total
Alabama
Alaska*
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

2000
903
24
0
15
9
109
13
4
82
38
3
31
21
2
9
16
10
2
22
5
23
6
9
16
3
5
15
3
31
15
57
15
1
23
15
10
38
17
4
28
97
6
34
8
2
7
0

2008
959
19
0
12
15
106
21
7
77
55
1
29
11
2
12
22
34
1
25
17
12
4
14
17
2
5
8
2
27
11
32
19
1
23
17
15
44
19
2
37
86
6
49
17
6
17
1

2009
961
20
0
11
5
138
14
8
88
45
6
29
16
6
11
18
22
2
20
18
20
3
13
20
6
7
14
5
25
11
37
23
2
26
18
7
37
15
2
32
76
12
39
14
7
11
2

2010
918
28
0
16
7
121
20
4
57
48
3
23
22
3
10
21
26
3
24
16
18
10
14
21
3
6
8
1
29
17
37
24
2
23
18
9
31
19
0
20
84
8
29
16
5
13
1

2011
888
18
1
9
16
92
12
7
66
46
5
21
21
8
10
16
20
7
21
5
24
6
14
12
8
5
13
4
20
23
36
17
1
28
12
8
46
7
1
39
69
14
42
16
7
14
1

2012
959
18
1
10
10
113
9
2
69
47
4
23
19
4
11
22
42
0
17
14
17
7
9
27
3
4
12
3
25
16
40
25
3
33
13
3
58
22
0
34
72
11
40
20
10
13
4

2013
985
19
0
14
15
129
19
6
68
47
6
33
18
9
17
13
37
1
21
14
21
5
15
19
5
7
10
1
23
10
40
21
5
30
16
4
41
21
2
27
98
16
28
16
6
10
2

2014
1,052
21
0
17
17
146
20
3
83
42
6
30
27
6
10
20
38
4
14
18
34
9
18
17
2
8
10
1
32
10
37
23
3
29
19
9
47
15
1
29
73
19
48
19
8
7
3

2015
1,093
24
0
24
13
135
25
1
83
40
3
29
21
6
14
23
35
1
17
12
21
8
19
21
6
3
18
0
26
15
32
33
2
31
16
14
53
18
6
36
98
11
43
28
10
13
6

2016
1,072
23
0
20
11
122
26
5
82
48
4
28
19
12
19
16
35
3
19
13
21
10
17
18
3
5
14
7
25
18
33
21
2
29
32
6
47
14
8
43
87
22
34
16
11
21
3

2017
1,099
18
0
29
11
133
27
7
98
45
4
24
26
3
11
16
44
2
20
18
23
14
9
23
4
12
12
4
18
11
17
36
1
40
9
13
49
29
0
42
92
7
44
19
10
24
1

2018
1,120
23
0
26
17
121
21
2
104
46
6
20
20
3
17
30
42
3
16
13
24
9
13
28
6
8
12
4
18
7
29
32
6
48
15
11
59
19
1
47
85
7
42
30
11
18
1

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont each operate a
combined prison/jail system. For mortality data, see Mortality in State and Federal Prisons, 2001-2018 – Statistical Tables (NCJ 255970, BJS, April 2021).
See Methodology.
*Prisons and jails form one integrated system. Counts include only deaths in 15 locally operated jails and exclude deaths in state-operated prisons
and jails.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000 and 2008–2018.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

20

■

TAbLE 20
Mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates, by state, 2000 and 2008–2018
State
Total
Alabama
Alaska*
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

2000
151
185
0
138
171 !
150
142
242 !
166
114
112 !
178
165
66 !
177 !
139
44
154 !
210
53 !
145
121 !
91 !
211
232 !
234 !
288
338 !
205
253
208
122
162 !
143
208
150
135
194
344 !
139
167
112 !
170
93 !
71 !
54 !
0

2008
123
118
0
67
203
127
160
234 !
116
116
25 !
138
62
49 !
156
122
117
63 !
184
128
68
56 !
127
146
112 !
159 !
106 !
99 !
151
121
106
98
104 !
119
169
238
118
139
141 !
140
124
87 !
170
126
138 !
110
59 !

2009
128
144
0
73
67 !
169
106
259 !
144
98
160 !
148
87
154 !
157
101
74
127 !
164
137
118
45 !
134
174
349 !
204 !
181
237 !
152
133
124
140
223 !
130
172
121 !
97
119
123 !
124
113
173
138
107
180 !
90
123 !

2010
125
186
0
121
94 !
162
157
132 !
98
103
85 !
114
124
75 !
130
120
81
282 !
194
149
109
149
133
197
154 !
177 !
108 !
48 !
182
191
123
129
211 !
132
209
153 !
87
155
0
87
125
110 !
100
130
121 !
92
64 !

2011
123
117
1,370 !
67 !
223
128
102
232 !
115
104
134 !
102
121
195 !
138
88
64
530 !
169
48 !
145
93 !
132
104
775 !
147 !
184
194 !
131
277
121
93
90 !
157
139
136 !
127
58 !
66 !
166
104
195
154
123
180 !
100
67 !

2012
129
120
962 !
69
134
142
73 !
81 !
122
106
107 !
108
108
94 !
158
113
129
0
139
146
99
109 !
71 !
218
152 !
116 !
173
140 !
154
190
142
130
252 !
176
136
38 !
155
180
0
140
106
151
133
167
230
101
260 !

2013
138
143
0
98
222
158
154
262 !
129
128
170 !
149
111
222 !
239
72
136
93 !
174
134
122
77 !
130
162
179 !
198 !
145
50 !
140
118
148
112
460 !
163
169
70 !
110
181
108 !
109
154
248
101
147
134 !
79
126 !

2014
144
156
0
122
217
178
167
152 !
155
103
160 !
150
161
141 !
134
97
128
292 !
125
176
201
132 !
142
151
86 !
231 !
141
45 !
213
121
143
121
212 !
152
152
150 !
124
130
58 !
118
113
255
160
155
186 !
56 !
189 !

2015
154
179
0
174
161
180
206
55 !
154
105
81 !
154
129
134 !
192
111
120
74 !
173
114
136
111 !
133
184
243 !
84 !
263
0
181
179
125
182
138 !
167
128
238
146
160
339 !
133
151
155
161
237
233
103
394 !

2016
149
163
0
152
134
160
201
269 !
156
119
105 !
152
104
271
252
70
120
222 !
214
121
127
140
118
153
119 !
136 !
200
375 !
184
245
148
112
145 !
165
254
102 !
134
139
426 !
152
130
308
122
133
253
162
192 !

2017
151
119
0
219
125
174
215
381 !
179
107
96 !
139
134
61 !
145
67
151
156 !
209
172
139
192
70 !
177
155 !
308
167
222 !
169
164
82
181
59 !
196
88 !
166
141
248
0
144
138
91 !
152
150
213
178
75 !

2018
154
142
0
200
188
160
157
98 !
186
116
140 !
124
97
62 !
210
121
141
178 !
178
143
145
126 !
100
217
238 !
200 !
155
260 !
187
114 !
134
157
415 !
230
157
191
180
161
47 !
157
124
94 !
148
245
209
130
69 !

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. Mortality rates are per 100,000 inmates held in the custody of local jails.
Mortality rates are based on the annual number of deaths and the average daily population (ADP). In 2000, the ADP was estimated by taking the
average of January 1 and December 31 one-day inmate population counts. Mortality rates are not adjusted for demographic differences among
states. Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont each operate a combined prison/jail system. For mortality data, see Mortality in
State and Federal Prisons, 2001-2018 – Statistical Tables (NCJ 255970, BJS, April 2021). See Methodology.
! Interpret with caution. Estimate is based on 10 or fewer cases, or coefficient of variation is greater than 50%. See Methodology – Interpreting rates
among small populations, p. 29.
*Prisons and jails form one integrated system. Counts include only deaths in 15 locally operated jails and exclude deaths in state-operated prisons
and jails.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000 and 2008–2018.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

21

■

TAbLE 21
Number of local jail jurisdictions reporting to Mortality in Correctional Institutions, by state, 2000 and 2008–2018
State
Total
Alabama
Alaskab
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

2000
2,984
151
15
16
85
65
55
1
68
176
39
90
90
94
95
80
87
15
24
13
83
71
91
124
41
64
20
10
21
34
58
96
23
97
100
33
63
46
28
97
248
26
73
58
28
70
22

2008
2,831
125
15
15
81
62
53
1
67
159
37
90
90
93
93
74
84
14
24
13
81
70
83
118
40
62
20
10
21
32
58
93
21
91
93
32
63
45
28
94
236
26
64
56
12
70
22

2009
2,742
115
14
15
76
61
53
1
65
151
35
90
89
92
90
70
79
14
23
13
81
69
80
110
36
61
20
10
20
29
57
89
22
91
88
31
63
45
26
89
230
26
65
56
11
69
22

2010
2,747
117
15
15
71
61
52
1
66
152
34
90
89
90
92
72
82
11
24
13
81
71
77
113
38
61
20
10
21
29
57
92
22
90
90
31
63
42
27
88
227
26
66
55
11
70
22

2011
2,738
115
15
15
73
60
50
1
66
153
34
88
90
93
90
73
75
12
24
13
80
70
77
113
37
60
20
10
21
31
58
93
22
93
88
30
63
44
25
88
226
25
66
55
10
70
23

2012
2,797
122
15
15
77
61
52
1
67
157
35
90
90
93
93
75
83
12
24
13
81
71
83
114
37
61
20
10
21
31
56
93
22
93
89
31
63
45
27
94
232
26
63
55
11
70
23

2013a
2,695
116
15
15
66
60
54
1
64
144
36
89
88
92
95
74
76
11
24
11
79
77
67
107
35
60
18
10
21
31
55
90
22
98
79
32
60
44
27
89
223
24
59
55
11
68
23

2014
2,777
122
14
16
75
60
54
1
67
152
36
87
90
92
94
76
81
12
24
12
80
78
76
110
36
61
18
10
20
32
54
92
23
98
90
34
62
45
26
93
228
26
62
55
11
69
23

2015
2,789
123
15
16
73
61
54
1
67
153
36
91
90
96
95
75
82
12
24
13
78
77
80
109
36
62
19
10
20
31
56
91
23
97
88
34
60
45
27
92
233
25
59
56
11
71
22

2016
2,784
125
15
16
71
59
55
1
67
148
36
91
91
95
96
77
80
12
23
13
80
77
80
110
36
61
19
10
19
31
53
93
23
97
90
34
60
44
25
93
233
26
59
56
11
71
22

2017
2,808
125
15
16
72
60
55
1
67
147
36
87
90
95
94
76
82
12
24
13
80
77
73
113
36
61
19
10
18
30
53
93
24
131
88
34
61
45
26
94
231
26
59
55
11
71
22

2018
2,805
125
15
16
70
62
56
1
66
147
35
89
91
94
95
75
88
13
23
12
77
77
78
108
36
62
19
10
18
28
55
93
22
128
91
36
62
45
26
92
230
25
58
53
11
71
21

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont each operate a
combined prison/jail system. For details on these states, see Mortality in State and Federal Prisons, 2001-2018 – Statistical Tables (NCJ 255970, BJS, April
2021). See Methodology.
aIn 2013, the response rate for Mortality in Correctional Institutions decreased to 94.2% due to a lengthened data-collection form. The response rate
was 99.7% in 2012.
bPrisons and jails form one integrated system. Counts include only data for 15 locally operated jails and exclude data for state-operated prisons
and jails.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000 and 2008–2018.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

22

■

TAbLE 22
Number of local jail jurisdictions reporting one or more deaths to the Mortality in Correctional Institutions, by
state, 2000 and 2008–2018
State
Total
Alabama
Alaska*
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

2000
434
15
0
5
7
30
6
1
23
24
3
7
11
2
8
11
5
2
7
3
12
5
8
10
3
5
7
3
12
9
12
13
1
13
10
4
15
11
4
16
50
3
21
8
2
7
0

2008
502
15
0
5
11
30
13
1
25
29
1
13
10
2
11
15
24
1
7
8
12
4
13
12
2
5
6
2
12
6
9
14
1
16
9
9
16
15
2
22
37
2
27
10
5
12
1

2009
503
17
0
5
4
33
6
1
31
27
6
9
11
5
7
16
16
2
10
9
10
2
11
16
6
3
6
4
11
4
18
18
2
16
12
5
19
10
2
19
43
6
20
9
5
9
2

2010
502
24
0
6
6
28
11
1
23
30
2
12
15
3
6
19
16
3
9
8
12
8
11
19
2
5
5
1
12
10
11
19
2
15
13
5
15
12
0
14
41
5
18
10
4
10
1

2011
521
16
1
4
13
28
7
1
28
30
4
14
16
7
9
15
13
5
11
3
13
6
12
10
6
4
5
4
10
12
18
12
1
18
9
5
21
6
1
21
43
8
22
12
5
11
1

2012
539
17
1
3
8
29
7
1
27
35
4
15
15
4
8
16
25
0
9
5
12
5
8
20
2
2
6
2
13
9
14
23
1
22
12
3
23
17
0
20
40
4
21
9
8
12
2

2013
543
18
0
4
11
36
11
1
32
30
6
12
14
7
11
10
23
1
9
7
12
5
10
15
4
6
7
1
10
8
15
19
5
21
10
4
21
14
2
11
51
6
19
10
4
8
2

2014
580
19
0
6
10
38
17
1
30
27
5
15
18
6
9
15
24
4
8
10
17
7
16
15
2
7
5
1
12
8
20
18
3
18
10
7
21
13
1
18
40
6
27
11
5
7
3

2015
590
20
0
6
9
37
10
1
33
26
3
15
15
6
8
17
24
1
10
5
12
8
18
16
5
3
5
0
12
8
15
24
2
22
11
10
22
13
4
24
45
7
23
15
5
10
5

2016
571
18
0
6
10
32
13
1
35
29
3
17
14
10
12
15
24
3
10
5
13
10
15
10
3
3
5
4
10
11
12
18
2
19
15
5
19
11
6
21
39
11
19
11
9
11
2

2017
577
16
0
9
9
31
16
1
28
30
4
11
19
3
9
16
24
2
9
8
15
10
7
18
4
5
5
3
12
8
8
27
1
27
6
9
27
13
0
24
44
4
21
12
6
15
1

2018
605
17
0
9
12
32
11
1
35
24
5
16
15
2
13
20
22
3
10
6
12
7
11
19
5
8
4
3
9
4
15
22
6
29
13
11
24
12
1
25
47
4
24
14
8
14
1

Note: Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont each operate a
combined prison/jail system. For details on these states, see Mortality in State and Federal Prisons, 2001-2018 – Statistical Tables (NCJ 255970, BJS, April
2021). See Methodology.
*Prisons and jails form one integrated system. Counts include only deaths in 15 locally operated jails and exclude deaths in state-operated prisons
and jails.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000 and 2008–2018.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

23

■

TAbLE 23
Preliminary number and percent of deaths in local jails,
by selected causes of death, 2019
Cause of death
All causes
Illnessa
AIDS-relatedb
Suicide
Drug/alcohol intoxication
Accident
Homicidec
Other/unknown
Missing

Number
1,088
440
8
318
153
21
15
66
67

Percent
100%
40.4
0.7
29.2
14.1
1.9
1.4
6.1
6.2

Note: Counts and percentages are preliminary and based on data
submitted to the Mortality in Correctional Institutions as of July 10,
2020. Detailed 2019 death data will be published in 2021, and estimates
are likely to change. See Methodology.
aExcludes AIDS-related deaths.
bIncludes persons who died of illness and were identified as
HIV-positive or having AIDS at the time of death.
cIncludes homicides committed by other inmates, incidental to
the use of force by staff, or resulting from assaults sustained prior
to incarceration.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional
Institutions, 2019.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

24

■

Methodology
Data collection coverage
The Mortality in Correctional Institutions (MCI),
formerly the Deaths in Custody Reporting Program
(DCRP), is an annual Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
data collection. The MCI obtains national-, state-,
and incident-level data on adults who died while in
the physical custody of the 50 state departments of
corrections (DOCs) or in the physical custody of the
approximately 2,800 local jail jurisdictions with adult
populations nationwide. This methodology pertains
to the local jail portion of the MCI collection only. BJS
defines a jail as a locally operated correctional facility
that confines persons before or after adjudication for
more than 72 hours, excluding temporary lockups.
See Mortality in State and Federal Prisons, 2000-2018 –
Statistical Tables (NCJ 255970, BJS, April 2021) for data
and the methodology on deaths in prisons.
The DCRP began in 2000 in response to the Death in
Custody Reporting Act of 2000 (DICRA; P.L. 106-297)
and was the only national statistical collection
providing comprehensive information about deaths in
adult correctional facilities. Starting in 2000, BJS has
annually collected data directly from the approximately
2,800 jail jurisdictions in the U.S. and maintained an
average annual response rate of 98%. BJS uses these
data to track national trends in the number and causes
or manners of deaths occurring in local jails. In 2017,
BJS changed the name from the DCRP to MCI to more
accurately describe the data collection.
BJS will cease collection of mortality data in state and
local correctional facilities after the 2019 data year.
When DICRA was reauthorized in 2014 (P.L. 113-242),
it included additional enforcement and reporting
compliance requirements that are incompatible with
BJS’s authorizing statute as a federal statistical agency.
The U.S Department of Justice (DOJ) determined it
would be more appropriate for the Bureau of Justice
Assistance (BJA) to administer the program and collect
mortality data for the DOJ starting with quarter 1
of fiscal year 2019 (October to December of 2019).
State departments of corrections and local jails will
now report their death information on a quarterly
basis to centralized state agencies, which will compile
and submit this to BJA to comply with all applicable
requirements in P.L. 113-242.
Mortality data measured by the MCI include the
location and type of facility where the inmate died,
decedent characteristics (sex, race or ethnicity,
Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

and age), admission date, conviction status, and
admission offense. The MCI also collects data on
the circumstances surrounding the death (the cause,
time, and location of death), whether an autopsy was
conducted, and the availability of autopsy results to the
respondent. Statistics for 2000 to 2018 presented in this
report are current as of September 14, 2020.
For more information on mortality in correctional
settings, see—
ƒƒ
Assessing Inmate Cause of Death: Deaths in Custody
Reporting Program and National Death Index
(NCJ 249568, BJS, April 2016)
ƒƒ
Mortality in State and Federal Prisons, 2000-2018 –
Statistical Tables (NCJ 255970, BJS April 2021)
ƒƒ
Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2016 – Statistical Tables
(NCJ 251921, BJS, February 2020)
ƒƒ
Mortality in State and Federal Prisons, 2001-2016 –
Statistical Tables (NCJ 251920, BJS, February 2020)
ƒƒ
Suicide and Homicide in State Prisons and Local Jails
(NCJ 210036, BJS, August 2005).
The MCI instruments for collecting jail data are
administered annually to local jails. Respondents
provide an aggregate count of the number of deaths
that occurred during the referenced calendar year
(CJ-9A/CJ-10A) and provide forms describing
individual deaths (CJ-9). The jail survey instruments
are available on the BJS website. Respondents can
submit individual records on decedents at any time
during a collection cycle through a BJS web-based
collection system. In addition to the death count,
jails are asked to provide summary statistics about
their population and admissions. All jails, including
those with no reportable deaths (about 80% of jails
in any given year), are asked to complete the annual
summary form.
Nonresponse
The jail universe includes all jails currently operating
and those BJS contacted for the MCI that have closed,
consolidated, or otherwise eliminated operations. This
universe allows BJS to determine jail participation
in the MCI. The most recent jail universe identified
2,925 jurisdictions that represented 3,130 jail facilities.
Of these, 2,858 jurisdictions (98%) participated in
the MCI.
A jail jurisdiction is a legal entity that manages jail
facilities. Jail jurisdictions typically operate at the
25

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county level, and a sheriff ’s office or jail administrator
usually manages the local facilities. MCI data identify
the jail facility where an inmate died, but data are
summarized at the jail jurisdiction level.

However, even if summary counts and individual
reports are reconciled, duplicate records may exist if
multiple reporting units within a jurisdiction provide
reconciled data.

Determining eligibility for reporting to the
Mortality in Correctional Institutions

Duplicate records occur primarily in reports from jail
jurisdictions that have multiple reporting entities. To
identify duplicate records, records are compared based
on an inmate’s name, date of birth, date of death, and
date of admission into a correctional facility. After the
aggregate count review, deaths reported to both the
jail and prison MCI collections are identified, which
most commonly occur when a local jail is housing an
inmate for the state DOC. The death is counted under
the facility that had custody of the inmate at the time of
death, and the duplicate record is deleted.

In the MCI, custody refers to the physical holding of
a person in a facility or to the period during which a
correctional authority maintains a chain of custody
over an inmate. For instance, if a jail transports an
ill inmate to a hospital for medical services and that
inmate dies in the hospital while in the chain of
custody of the jail, then that death is counted as a death
in custody. A death that occurs when an inmate is not
in the custody of a correctional authority is considered
beyond the scope of the MCI. Deaths were considered
out of scope for inmates who were on escape status
or under the supervision of community corrections,
such as on probation, parole, or home electronic
monitoring. Local jail officials were asked to determine
whether the inmate was in the physical custody of
the jurisdiction at the time of death, regardless of the
reason the inmate was being held.
Custody is further complicated by the functions of
some sheriffs’ offices, including dual law enforcement
and jail administration. As a result, some deaths that
respondents reported as jail deaths occurred before the
jail had custody of the decedent. Deaths that occurred
in the process of arrest were identified by BJS and
excluded by using information about the circumstances
surrounding the death.
Identifying and excluding duplicate records
Duplicate and out-of-scope records are excluded from
analysis in this report. Duplicate death records may
occur in the MCI due to overlapping correctional
populations or overlapping duties within correctional
facilities. For example, a state prison system may report
the death of an inmate who was transferred to a local
jail while serving a prison sentence. This death would
be counted by the local jail that had custody of the
inmate at the time of death. The duplicate record from
the prison would be deleted.
To identify duplicate records, BJS reconciles the
aggregate summary counts of deaths that occurred
during a calendar year with the number of individual
records of death that were obtained from a reporting
jurisdiction. When discrepancies are identified,
reporting jurisdictions are contacted for clarification.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

Information on cause of death
MCI respondents are instructed to report on the cause
of death as determined by autopsy or another official
medical investigation. For this collection, deaths due
to accidental intoxication, accidents, suicides, and
homicides are considered discrete causes of death.
Although the manner and cause of death are distinct
from one another, no such distinction is made in the
MCI. When reporting a death due to illness, accident,
suicide, intoxication, or homicide, BJS requests that
respondents describe the events surrounding these
deaths. Clinical data specialists convert text entries
that describe illness-related deaths into standard
medical codes from the World Health Organization’s
International Statistical Classification of Diseases and
Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10).
Homicides include all types of intentional homicide
and involuntary manslaughter as determined by a
medical examiner or pathologist at autopsy. Homicide
counts include legal intervention homicides committed
while the inmate was trying to escape. Homicides
encompass cases that are ruled a homicide at autopsy
when events that led to the death occurred prior to
incarceration, such as an inmate who was shot outside
of custody and who later died from complications of
the gunshot wound while in custody.
Other BJS sources of correctional mortality data
BJS collects other data reported to the MCI on jail
mortality. These other collections include—
ƒƒ
the Census of Jails (COJ), which is conducted every
5 to 6 years and provides counts of inmate deaths in
local jails. Further discussion of the COJ is available
on the BJS website.
26

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ƒƒ
the Survey of Jails in Indian Country (SJIC), which
provides aggregate counts of deaths in all known
correctional facilities in Indian country that are
operated by tribal authorities or the U.S. Department
of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs. Further
discussion of the SJIC is available on the BJS website.
Reported statistics
Mortality data in this report include the number of
deaths and mortality rates by year, the cause of death,
selected decedent characteristics, and the state where
the death occurred.
Inmate mortality rates are calculated per 100,000 local
jail inmates, with the denominators providing
estimates of the number of person-years of exposure
in custody in institutional corrections (person-years
combines time in jail with the number of inmates to
measure actual exposure to a jail setting). The mortality
rate in jails is calculated as the number of deaths per
year divided by the inmate average daily population
(ADP), with the resulting quotient multiplied by
100,000. The ADP for jails is defined as the average
daily number of inmates held in a jail jurisdiction
during a calendar year, from January 1 through
December 31.
The ADP is used as the denominator for mortality
rates to accommodate the high turnover and daily
fluctuation in local jail populations. Compared to a
single-day inmate count, the ADP is a better indicator
of the number of days per year that an inmate is
exposed to the risk of death. Jail populations have a
much higher turnover than prison populations. Mean
length of stay is about 26 days in local jails, compared
to 2 years in state prisons.
The jail ADP reflects the annual number of admissions
and mean length of stay, and it can be expressed as
the product of these two values. When mean length
of stay is expressed in years, the ADP is equivalent to
the number of person-years spent by inmates during
a given year. ADP data are received directly from jails
through the MCI using the summary form CJ-9A.
Starting in 2002, BJS collected the ADP directly from
respondents. Prior to 2002, the jail ADP was calculated
by taking the average of the January 1 count from
the prior year and the December 31 count from the
reference year.
Both denominators provide for annualized mortality
rates, which are calculated separately by group or
characteristic. The annualized mortality rates in state
prisons and local jails are comparable to annual crude,
Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

or unadjusted, mortality rates reported by the National
Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
The NCHS calculates crude mortality rates as
the number of events for a period divided by the
population estimate at the midpoint of the period. For
general-population mortality statistics, the NCHS uses
the midyear population to approximate the average
population that was exposed to risk of death during
any given year.2
Like the mortality rates reported by the NCHS, the
mortality rates of jail inmates reported in the MCI
annual statistical tables are crude, or unadjusted.
The composition of the general population differs by
sex, race or ethnicity, and age from the population in
local jails, which in turn differs from the population
in state or federal prisons. In 2018, BJS adjusted the
general population in table 4 to reflect the sex, race or
ethnicity, and age distribution of local jails to permit
direct comparisons. For details on this adjustment, see
Comparison of jail mortality rates to the U.S. resident
population in 2018 below.
Records on individual inmates that were collected
annually are included in the national death count.
Independent and jail-specific counts are collected
in the annual summary form (CJ-9A/CJ-10A) and
serve as control death totals. If the death count in the
summary form file is greater than the count in the file
on individual inmates, the summary file count is used
to calculate the jail mortality rate.
Estimating population characteristics of
inmates to calculate mortality rates by
demographic subgroups
To estimate ADP distributions of inmate demographic
characteristics, data from several data collections were
used to generate distributions of sex, race or ethnicity,
and age. These collections were chosen because they
were conducted closest in time to the 2018 reference
year. These distributions were then applied to the
ADP. These data collections include two types of data:
(1) in-person survey data, where jail inmates are asked
directly to identify their date of birth, sex at birth,
race, and Hispanic origin, and (2) administrative
data, which is derived from the official operational
records maintained by the jail facility, and may differ
from how an inmate would self-identify, especially in
terms of race and ethnicity, if given the chance. BJS’s
administrative data collections on jails include—
2See Siegel, J. S., & Swanson, D. A. (Eds.). (2004). The methods and

materials of demography (2nd ed., p. 269). Elsevier Academic Press.

27

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ƒƒ
the MCI, conducted annually
ƒƒ
the Annual Survey of Jails (ASJ), conducted annually
ƒƒ
the COJ, conducted every 5 to 6 years, including in
2013 and 2019.
BJS’s in-person inmate survey data on jails include—
ƒƒ
the Survey of Inmates in Local Jails (SILJ), last
conducted in 2002
ƒƒ
the National Inmate Survey (NIS), conducted in
2006, 2007 to 2009, and 2012.
Prior to 2010, the ASJ provided estimates of inmates
by sex for each year of MCI collection. The ASJ
percentages were applied to each year’s ADP from the
MCI to estimate the ADP of male and female inmates.
Starting in 2010, sex-specific data on ADP from MCI
were used to calculate the denominators for mortality
rates for males and females.
Data from the SILJ, NIS, and COJ were used to
estimate the relative distribution of adults by race or
ethnicity for different periods. Because the SILJ (2002),
NIS (2007 to 2009), and COJ (2013) are not fielded
annually, the population estimates were smoothed
before being applied to MCI data for specific time
periods. The SILJ estimates were used to cover the
period from 2000 to 2004, the NIS estimates to cover
years 2005 to 2012, and the COJ estimates to cover
years 2013 to 2018. In all cases, the percentages
associated with the distribution of race or ethnicity
were applied to the jail ADP.
To estimate the distribution of the inmate population
by age, BJS first obtained an estimate of the number of
inmates age 17 or younger from the ASJ (2000 to 2012,
and 2014 to 2016) and the 2013 COJ data collection.
An estimate of the ADP of inmates age 17 or younger
was obtained by applying the annual percentage of
inmates age 17 or younger from the ASJ and COJ, to
the annual ADP collected in MCI.
To estimate the distribution of adult inmates by age,
data from the SILJ for 2000 to 2006 and the NIS
for 2007 to 2016 were used to estimate the relative
distribution of adults by age for specific periods.
Estimates were directly available from these sources
for 2002, 2007, 2009, and 2012. The age distribution
for 2002 (SILJ) was applied to MCI data for 2000 and
2001, and the distribution from 2012 (NIS) was used
for 2013 to 2018. Estimates were smoothed to account
for gaps in reference years when age estimates were not
available (2003 to 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2011).
Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

Comparison of jail mortality rates to the U.S.
resident population in 2018
The jail population differs substantially from the
U.S. resident population in terms of age, race or
ethnicity, and sex distributions. These differences
preclude direct comparison of mortality rates
between jail inmates and the U.S. resident population.
To allow for direct comparisons, BJS adjusted the
U.S. resident population’s mortality rates to the
age-by-sex-by-race/ethnicity (ASR) distribution of jails
in 2018.
BJS does not collect individual-level data on all jail
inmates on an annual basis, instead obtaining annual
univariate aggregate counts of the jail population by
sex and by race or ethnicity through the ASJ. BJS can
calculate the ASR 3-way cross distributions for the jail
population only for those years in which it conducts
an in-person inmate survey, the most recent of which
was in 2012, the third iteration of NIS. BJS can use the
ratio of administrative age or race or ethnicity data
to in-person survey data to determine how disparate
administrative records are from a representative
sample of jail inmates. The sex distribution of
administrative data is assumed to be accurate because
they represent official records of facilities, and typically,
BJS’s in-person survey data are weighted to reflect the
sex distribution of the administrative data.
Because the ASR distribution in jails may have changed
between 2012 and 2018, BJS did not simply impose
the ASR distributions observed in the 2012 NIS on the
2018 jail population administrative data. Instead, BJS
used other existing administrative data to make several
educated assumptions and separate comparisons for
sex, race or ethnicity, and age to estimate a combined
ASR distribution for jail inmates for 2018.
1. As previously stated, the sex distribution of
administrative data is assumed to be accurate
because they represent official records of facilities,
and in-person survey data are weighted to reflect the
sex distribution of the administrative data. Using the
ratio of males and females from the 2012 NIS to the
2011 ASJ, BJS adjusted the 2018 ASJ sex distribution.
2. To obtain an updated age distribution for jail
inmates, BJS compared sex-specific age distributions
of arrestees from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting
Program in 2009 and 2012 to calculate the ratios
of these distributions to the 2009 and 2012 NIS
in-person survey results. These two distributions
of age ratios were averaged and applied to the ASJ
control totals by sex from 2015 to 2017 to obtain
28

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percent distributions of ages for males and females
in the jail population for those years. An average of
the 2015 to 2017 distributions was then applied to
the adjusted 2018 ASJ sex totals to obtain the final
2018 age-by-sex distribution.
3. BJS does not obtain an annual sex-specific
distribution of race or ethnicity through ASJ or MCI.
BJS made the assumption that the race/ethnicity
distribution of jail inmates in 2018 had not
changed markedly from that reported in the 2011
ASJ. Additionally, BJS assumed the race/ethnicity
distributions of jail inmates in the 2011 ASJ did not
differ between the sexes. This allowed BJS to use
the 2012 NIS-3 distributions of sex-specific race or
ethnicity to adjust the counts of 2018 jail inmates.
a. Because the assumption of both male and female
jail inmates having the same race/ethnicity
distribution could be questioned, BJS repeated this
step under a different assumption. The 2011 ASJ
female race/ethnicity distribution was set equal to
that of females observed in the 2012 NIS survey,
and the distribution for males was calculated as the
difference between the race/ethnicity distribution
for males in the 2011 ASJ and the new female
race/ethnicity distribution. Ultimately, there
were no differences in the resulting mortality
rates once the adult U.S. resident population was
adjusted to these two methods of calculating the
sex-by-race/ethnicity distribution.
4. BJS applied the sex-by-race/ethnicity distributions
(assumption 3, above) to the age-by-sex distributions
(assumption 2) to create an ASR table. BJS then
raked the sex-specific counts so that the marginal
totals for sex-specific race/ethnicity (assumption 3)
and sex-specific age (assumption 2) matched the
control totals of the bivariate crosstabulations of
the characteristics.
U.S. resident population mortality data were obtained
from the WONDER (Wide-ranging Online Data
for Epidemiological Research) Underlying Cause of
Death database (https://wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10.
html), created by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. Because local jails hold fewer than
800 persons age 17 or younger, BJS limited the
WONDER death data query to residents who had a
known age at death and were age 18 or older in 2018.
In addition, BJS excluded causes of death that are
unlikely to occur in a jail setting, including motorvehicle accidents; homicides due to explosives or
firearms not related to law enforcement, motor vehicle

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

assault, or neglect; and firearm discharges not related
to law enforcement.
For each cause of death, BJS parsed the WONDER
death data to match ASR categories from the MCI,
and calculated crude mortality rates for the resident
population for each ASR category. Next, the total
jail inmate population was divided into the same
ASR categories using the process described above.
The crude mortality rates for the adult U.S. resident
population were then multiplied by the total local jail
population by weighted ASR category. This approach
allowed BJS to generate a cause-specific expected count
of deaths that, when summed, gave the total number
of expected deaths in the U.S. resident population due
to that cause for 2018, if the demographic distribution
of the U.S. population resembled that of the local
jail population. To obtain the adjusted mortality
rate per 100,000 shown in table 4, BJS divided these
cause-specific mortality rates by the total jail inmate
population, and multiplied by 100,000.
Rolling averages
Rolling averages were computed to examine trends for
certain causes of death in local jails while smoothing
short-term fluctuations. Data were divided into
10 overlapping 3-year periods spanning 12 years. The
rolling averages in this report describe some changes
in cause-specific mortality rates over time, such as
whether the overall rise in the mortality rate for cancer
was steady, or the increase in unnatural deaths was
recent. Rolling averages were not computed for all
causes of death in custody due to small cell sizes.
Interpreting rates among small populations
MCI data on deaths in local jails are not subject
to sampling error because the data represent a full
enumeration of deaths. However, according to
Brillinger and NCHS, mortality data from a complete
enumeration may be subject to random error because
“the number of deaths that actually occurred may
be considered as one of a large series of possible
results that could have arisen under the same set of
circumstances.”3,4 The random variation can be large
when the number of deaths is small. Therefore, caution
is warranted when interpreting statistics that are based
on small numbers of deaths.
3See Brillinger, D. R. (1986). The natural variability of vital rates

and associated statistics. Biometrics, 42(4), 693-734.

4See Xu, J., Kochanek, K. D., Murphy, S. L., & Tejada-Vera, B.

(2010). Deaths: Final data for 2007 (National Vital Statistics
Reports, Vol. 58, No. 19). National Center for Health Statistics.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr58/nvsr58_19.pdf

29

■

Continuing to use the NCHS and Brillinger methods,
BJS quantified random variation by assuming that
the appropriate underlying probability distribution
for the number of deaths was a Poisson distribution.
This provided a simple and reasonable approach for
estimating variances in mortality statistics when the
probability of dying is low. Variances were calculated
based on the assumption of a Poisson process. From
these variances, estimates of relative random error
were calculated. These estimates are comparable

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

to the relative standard error because the relative
random error is the ratio of random error derived
from the Poisson variance to the number of deaths.
Following NCHS practice, when the relative random
error exceeded 30%, estimated mortality rates were
flagged with an “!” symbol to show the instability of
the rate. (Interpret with caution. Estimate is based on
10 or fewer cases, or coefficient of variation is greater
than 50%.)

30

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AppEndIx TAbLE 1
Estimated number of local jail inmates in custody on an average day, by inmate characteristics, 2000–2018
Characteristic
Total
Sex
Male
Female
Race/ethnicity
Whitea
Blacka
Hispanic
Othera,b
Age
17 or younger
18–24
25–34
35–44
45–54
55 or older
Legal status
Convictedc
Unconvictedd
Jail sizee
49 or fewer
inmates
50–99
100–249
250–499
500–999
1,000 or more

Custody
population,
2000–2018 2000
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
13,653,600 597,900 778,700 747,900 732,000 720,900 745,200 712,700 729,100 711,600 717,500 729,000 727,600
11,863,500 529,700 679,800 656,700 640,200 629,900 645,800 613,800 625,400 608,600 610,800 618,400 616,600
1,790,200 68,200 98,900 91,200 91,800 91,000 99,400 98,900 103,800 103,000 106,700 110,500 111,000
4,879,200 215,000 276,500 264,200 254,800 247,200 251,700 245,700 260,600 261,100 260,300 275,800 273,300
4,806,100 239,600 284,400 271,100 258,800 248,500 250,300 212,300 231,000 224,600 220,600 220,900 213,000
2,750,800 110,600 151,900 154,000 155,100 157,000 166,700 159,800 156,500 147,800 157,800 154,700 155,300
1,217,500 32,700 65,900 58,600 63,300 68,200 76,600 94,900 81,000 78,200 78,800 77,500 86,000
112,000
7,300 7,600 7,000 7,400
3,653,000 169,300 210,500 204,000 195,300
4,520,800 191,700 249,300 243,500 242,900
3,125,900 156,200 178,800 165,200 158,300
1,775,200 60,200 105,900 100,900 100,300
466,800 13,200 26,700 27,400 27,900

5,800
188,600
244,300
153,000
100,500
28,700

5,400
190,900
257,500
155,000
105,600
30,800

4,500
182,700
246,500
148,400
101,100
29,500

4,100
187,000
252,400
151,900
103,500
30,200

3,500
182,700
246,500
148,400
101,100
29,500

3,800
184,100
248,400
149,500
101,900
29,700

3,500
187,200
252,500
152,000
103,500
30,200

3,400
186,800
252,100
151,700
103,400
30,200

5,217,900 263,100 288,900 282,700 284,800 284,000 293,600 271,500 271,300 267,100 250,400 257,500 244,900
8,435,200 334,800 489,800 465,200 447,300 436,900 451,600 441,200 457,800 444,500 467,000 471,500 482,800
420,000 27,500 21,200 20,800 21,000 21,100 21,400 20,100 20,200 20,700 20,100
716,500 38,800 38,600 37,600 36,100 35,300 36,100 35,500 37,000 36,700 36,000
1,763,300 75,900 90,800 91,400 94,900 94,400 93,600 92,300 96,600 99,300 104,700
1,937,000 75,500 104,800 102,800 98,900 101,400 112,000 102,500 110,800 107,800 110,000
2,306,500 97,600 125,900 121,100 128,900 127,100 129,400 128,400 129,000 127,300 134,600
6,510,200 282,600 397,500 374,300 352,200 341,500 352,700 334,000 335,500 319,900 312,200

19,800
36,200
102,800
116,300
136,000
317,800

19,200
35,300
101,800
123,700
137,500
309,900

Note: Data are rounded to the nearest 100. Data may have been revised from previously published statistics. Details may not sum to totals due
to rounding. Subpopulation estimates, such as sex, race or ethnicity, and age, were based on the reported proportion of the subpopulation in
comparison to the total average daily population (ADP). Subpopulations for legal status were estimated using data from the Annual Survey of Jails.
Subpopulations for sex and jail size were based on total counts as reported to the Mortality in Correctional Institutions. See Methodology.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
bIncludes Asians, Native Hawaiians, Other Pacific Islanders, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and persons of two or more races.
cIncludes inmates who returned on a probation or parole violation.
dIncludes inmates whose status was marked as other or was unspecified.
eJail size is based on the ADP.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2000–2018; Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000 and 2008–2018; National Inmate
Survey, 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2012; and Survey of Inmates in Local Jails, 2002.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

31

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AppEndIx TAbLE 2
Illness mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates within each demographic group, by decedent characteristics,
2008–2018 (3-year rolling averages)
Characteristic
Total
Sex
Male
Female
Race/ethnicity
Whitea
Blacka
Hispanic
Othera,b
Age
17 or younger
18–24
25–34
35–44
45–54
55 or older
Legal status
Convictedc
Unconvictedd

2008
71

2009
67

2010
62

2011
63

2012
65

2013
66

2014
69

2015
70

2016
72

2017
73

2018
72

70
78

66
72

62
67

63
67

64
70

66
67

69
72

70
70

71
77

73
74

72
75

82
88
41
18

82
79
38
17

80
72
33
15

88
71
30
11

92
75
28
11

94
77
32
10

96
82
37
13

97
80
42
14

102
78
41
19

103
79
42
18

101
81
40
17

5!
8
24
75
191
550

5!
7
22
66
176
534

9!
8
20
57
165
508

15 !
9
22
56
159
517

11 !
8
22
53
167
518

6!
7
23
56
164
520

0
7
23
60
167
557

0
8
25
62
154
582

0
9
27
58
151
645

0
11
26
60
145
676

0
11
26
59
133
707

46
85

47
78

47
71

48
72

50
75

50
76

56
77

55
79

57
81

57
82

58
80

Note: Based on 3-year rolling averages. Labels show the most recent year only (for example, 2006–2008 is shown as 2008). Mortality rates are per
100,000 inmates held in the custody of local jails. Mortality rates are based on the annual number of deaths and the average daily population. See
Methodology.
! Interpret with caution. Estimate is based on 10 or fewer cases, or coefficient of variation is greater than 50%. See Methodology – Interpreting rates
among small populations, p. 29.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
bIncludes Asians, Native Hawaiians, Other Pacific Islanders, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and persons of two or more races. Due to the small
number of deaths and local jail populations of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs), mortality rates for AIANs are unstable and not shown.
cIncludes inmates who returned on a probation or parole violation.
dIncludes inmates whose status was marked as other or was unspecified.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2006–2018; and Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2006–2018.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

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AppEndIx TAbLE 3
Heart disease mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates within each demographic group, by decedent
characteristics, 2008–2018 (3-year rolling averages)
Characteristic
Total
Sex
Male
Female
Race/ethnicity
Whitea
Blacka
Hispanic
Other a,b
Age
17 or younger
18–24
25–34
35–44
45–54
55 or older
Legal status
Convictedc
Unconvictedd

2008
28

2009
27

2010
28

2011
31

2012
34

2013
35

2014
35

2015
35

2016
37

2017
39

2018
40

29
24

27
24

28
27

32
28

34
32

36
31

36
33

36
30

38
31

40
30

41
34

34
35
12
8

35
31
13
7

38
31
14
6

47
34
11
6

51
40
10
6

52
44
10
5

50
46
13
6

48
45
15
7

51
44
16
11

54
45
17
10

55
49
18
8

0
2
8
30
73
255

0
3
7
27
68
247

0
3
7
25
72
253

0
3
9
27
81
273

0
3
10
29
86
293

0
4
10
30
88
296

0
4
10
29
85
307

0
3
11
29
85
306

0
3
12
28
84
344

0
4
12
31
84
368

0
5
12
31
76
412

20
33

20
30

22
31

25
35

26
39

27
40

28
40

28
39

30
41

30
43

32
44

Note: Based on 3-year rolling averages. Labels show the most recent year only (for example, 2006–2008 is shown as 2008). Mortality rates are per
100,000 inmates held in the custody of local jails. Mortality rates are based on the annual number of deaths and the average daily population. See
Methodology.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
bIncludes Asians, Native Hawaiians, Other Pacific Islanders, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and persons of two or more races. Due to the small
number of deaths and local jail populations of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs), mortality rates for AIANs are unstable and not shown.
cIncludes inmates who returned on a probation or parole violation.
dIncludes inmates whose status was marked as other or was unspecified.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2006–2018; and Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2006–2018.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

33

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AppEndIx TAbLE 4
Suicide mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates within each demographic group, by decedent characteristics,
2008–2018 (3-year rolling averages)
Characteristic
Total
Sex
Male
Female
Race/ethnicity
Whitea
Blacka
Hispanic
Othera,b
Age
17 or younger
18–24
25–34
35–44
45–54
55 or older
Legal status
Convictedc
Unconvictedd

2008
34

2009
35

2010
37

2011
42

2012
42

2013
43

2014
46

2015
49

2016
50

2017
47

2018
45

36
19

37
24

38
28

43
32

44
28

45
28

48
32

52
36

52
37

49
35

47
36

65
14
20
17

71
14
18
20

76
13
19
20

87
15
22
17

89
15
22
14

89
18
25
12

93
20
24
15

100
21
28
13

100
18
27
14

94
17
27
12

89
16
26
13

39 !
23
29
44
44
53

28 !
25
30
46
47
54

23 !
23
35
46
50
57

20 !
26
41
52
56
56

27 !
26
40
53
53
64

32 !
27
42
53
50
79

43 !
27
43
58
54
93

41 !
26
47
62
63
104

35 !
25
46
62
70
97

46 !
22
46
58
68
87

38 !
19
42
60
62
100

14
45

16
47

18
49

20
55

19
56

19
59

20
61

23
66

25
64

26
59

26
55

Note: Based on 3-year rolling averages. Labels show the most recent year only (for example, 2006–2008 is shown as 2008). Mortality rates are per
100,000 inmates held in the custody of local jails. Mortality rates are based on the annual number of deaths and the average daily population. See
Methodology.
! Interpret with caution. Estimate is based on 10 or fewer cases, or coefficient of variation is greater than 50%. See Methodology – Interpreting rates
among small populations, p. 29.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
bIncludes Asians, Native Hawaiians, Other Pacific Islanders, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and persons of two or more races. Due to the small
number of deaths and local jail populations of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs), mortality rates for AIANs are unstable and not shown.
cIncludes inmates who returned on a probation or parole violation.
dIncludes inmates whose status was marked as other or was unspecified.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2006–2018; and Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2006–2018.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

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AppEndIx TAbLE 5
Mortality rate from accidents, homicides, or drug or alcohol intoxication per 100,000 local jail inmates within each
demographic group, by decedent characteristics, 2008–2018 (3-year rolling averages)
Characteristic
Total
Sex
Male
Female
Race/ethnicity
Whitea
Blacka
Hispanic
Othera,b
Age
17 or younger
18–24
25–34
35–44
45–54
55 or older
Legal status
Convictedc
Unconvictedd

2008
15

2009
13

2010
13

2011
15

2012
14

2013
16

2014
17

2015
20

2016
21

2017
24

2018
27

15
14

14
11

13
12

15
17

14
17

15
20

16
22

18
27

20
25

23
29

27
32

22
13
12
2!

21
10
10
3!

21
9
7
4!

25
10
10
8

26
9
9
5

27
11
11
5

30
13
11
2!

32
16
14
4

34
16
14
6

37
19
17
7

42
22
19
6

5!
9
14
18
20
27

9!
6
12
17
20
35

5!
6
10
17
20
41

5!
6
12
20
24
46

0
7
13
17
21
40

6!
7
14
19
24
43

7!
8
15
20
27
46

17 !
9
17
23
31
58

18 !
9
19
25
30
64

18 !
9
23
28
31
72

9!
9
26
36
35
84

9
19

7
17

8
16

11
17

11
16

12
19

11
21

13
24

15
25

16
28

20
31

Note: Based on 3-year rolling averages. Labels show the most recent year only (for example, 2006–2008 is shown as 2008). Mortality rates are per
100,000 inmates held in the custody of local jails. Mortality rates are based on the annual number of deaths and the average daily population. See
Methodology.
! Interpret with caution. Estimate is based on 10 or fewer cases, or coefficient of variation is greater than 50%. See Methodology – Interpreting rates
among small populations, p. 29.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
bIncludes Asians, Native Hawaiians, Other Pacific Islanders, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and persons of two or more races. Due to the small
number of deaths and local jail populations of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs), mortality rates for AIANs are unstable and not shown.
cIncludes inmates who returned on a probation or parole violation.
dIncludes inmates whose status was marked as other or was unspecified.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2006–2018; and Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2006–2018.

AppEndIx TAbLE 6
Rates for figure 1: Mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates, by cause of death, 2000–2018
Cause
of death
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008* 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
All causes 151 148 145 146 143 141 142 141 123 128 125 123 129 138 144 154 149 151 154
Illness
86
76
76
74
74
68
78
78
57
66
65
59
71
68
69
73
75
72
71
Suicide
48
49
47
43
42
39
36
36
29
41
42
43
40
46
50
52
46
43
46
Drug/alcohol
intoxication
6
9
8
13
11
11
11
10
6
9
7
10
8
10
13
13
16
21
24
Note: Mortality rates are based on the annual number of deaths and the average daily population.
*In 2008, a high number of illness cases were missing cause of death information and were classified as other/unknown. See Methodology.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mortality in Correctional Institutions, 2000–2018.

Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2018 – Statistical Tables | April 2021

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The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the
principal federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal
victimization, criminal offenders, victims of crime, correlates of crime,
and the operation of criminal and civil justice systems at the federal, state,
tribal, and local levels. BJS collects, analyzes, and disseminates reliable
statistics on crime and justice systems in the United States, supports
improvements to state and local criminal justice information systems, and
participates with national and international organizations to develop and
recommend national standards for justice statistics. Doris J. James is the
acting director.
This report was written by E. Ann Carson. Stephanie Mueller and Zhen
Zeng verified the report.
Eric Hendrixson edited the report. Carrie Epps-Carey produced the report.
April 2021, NCJ 256002

11111111111111111m1111111111
NCJ 256002

Office of Justice Programs
Building Solutions • Supporting Communities • Advancing Justice
www.ojp.gov