Death before Sentencing provides a comprehensive description of America's 3,000 plus county and local jails being ignored by the media, politicians, and even criminal justice reformers. Jails have largely escaped scrutiny for deaths in their facilities for several reasons. First, the nation's jails are local affairs. Even repeat jail deaths warrant no more than limited local coverage at most. Jails are mostly run by sheriffs, often the most powerful and largely untouchable political figure in a local community. Third, the families of deceased jail inmates do not usually have the resources to sue or socioeconomic clout to be heard demanding jail accountability for loved ones' deaths. And lastly, many understood jail deaths as occurring from "natural causes," the verdict medical examiners and coroners erroneously employ to allow those responsible for the deaths to escape any accountability. This book constitutes the most complete investigation of the deadly side of jails, describing the daily deaths of detainees, including those from suicides, drug and alcohol withdrawal, forced restraint and brutality, as well as medical malpractice. Andrew R. Klein with Jessica L. Klein show how the failure of jail oversight by state correctional officials, state and county prosecutors, state police as well as sheriffs, medical examiners, and coroners allows for the secrecy surrounding and the cover up of jail deaths. Through a growing number of wrongful death lawsuits and the increasing role of the media in uncovering the truth about deadly jails, communities, led by the grieving families, are working to hold jailers and their medical providers accountable. This book concludes with hopeful signs of reforms being initiated by the U.S. Justice Department under President Biden, state legislatures, successful lawsuits, and reformers as well as suggests the major institutional reforms required to stop the daily deaths in America's jails.
Andrew R. Klein, PhD, is head of the United States Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance training and technical assistance program for prison and jail drug treatment programs (called RSAT). As project director, he has become intimately acquainted with the nation's jail, their challenges, struggles, successes and failures as well as the sheriffs and men and women who run and staff them. He has become a recognized national leader for correctional reform. Jessica L. Klein is a freelance journalist, published widely in outlets including The New York Times, The Atlantic, and the BBC.
Chapter 1: Jails vs Prisons Booking vs Non-Booking Jails Police Lockups Municipal Jails Tribal Jails Private Prisons Chapter 2: A Step Back: How America Invented Prisons Chapter 3: Jails and Prisons Today The Numbers COVID-19 Jail Exodus Chapter 4: How Did America Become the World's Biggest Jailer? Cash Bail and Bail Bondspersons Deinstitutionalization Racism and the War on Drugs Probation and Parole, Recycling Inmates Chapter 5: Death in Jails Medical Examiners, Coroners and "Natural Deaths" Suicides Racism and Brutality, They Can't Breathe in Jails, Too Weapons of Detainee Destruction: Tasers, WRAP, Pepper Spray, and Restraint Chairs Jails' Toxic Environments Drug and Alcohol Toxicity and Withdrawal Security and Medical Providers Team Up to Deprive Care Jail Medical Providers (Making Money, Limiting Care) Chapter 6: Getting Away with Murder, The Failure to Hold Jails Accountable Sheriffs Investigate Themselves County Prosecutors Cover for Deadly Jails State Review of Jails Tepid and Ignored U.S. Justice Department Ends Custody Death Investigations Fighting Accountability Chapter 7: Grieving Families Left to Attempt to Hold Jails Accountable Jail Withdrawal Wrongful Death Lawsuits Awards/Settlements Growing Chapter 8: Signs of Hope Holding Corrections Officer Accountable Increasing Media Coverage Increasing Prosecutorial Scrutiny Electing Reform Sheriffs Rebirth of U.S. Justice Department Oversight Evicting For Profit Medical Providers Even Medical Examiners? Lawsuits Bear Fruit Chapter 9: Ending America's Deadly Jails Ending Correctional Medicine through Medicaid Expansion Increasing Jail Oversight
