Watchdog blames Bureau of Prisons ‘deficiencies’ for 187 deaths by suicide

A new report by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General blames “deficiencies” within the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for 187 deaths by suicide over a eight-year period.

The report, released Thursday, came after reviewing 344 inmate deaths from 2014 to 2021 and finding that 187 — more than half — died by suicide. The report was led by Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz. 

Horowitz found that “a combination of recurring policy violations and operational failures contributed to inmate suicides.” The inspector general’s office “identified several operational and managerial deficiencies” that created unsafe conditions for inmates prior to or at the time of their deaths. 

The 344 reviewed deaths were divided into four categories: homicide, suicide, unknown factors and accident. More than half of suicides involved inmates in single cells or housed in a cell alone, which increases suicide risk, according to the report. 

The report stated that Bureau of Prisons can help prevent some suicides by “complying with existing policies.” It also followed up on the reviews of the deaths of Whitey Bulger and Jeffrey Epstein.

The probe concluded that weapons and contraband drugs played a role in nearly one-third of inmate deaths. Overdoses caused 70 inmate deaths, according to the report. 

Operational challenges contributed, as “staffing shortages; an outdated security camera system; staff failure to follow BOP policies and procedures; and an ineffective, untimely staff disciplinary process ― were contributing factors in many of the inmate deaths.” 

The Office of the Inspector General made 12 recommendations, and Bureau of Prisons agreed to all of them.