By Hannah Sparling
The Newark Advocate
NEWARK, Ohio — Statewide, inmate suicide seems to be an increasing problem. There have been four suicides at Ohio prisons so far this year, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. That’s compared with 10 suicides for all of 2013, eight in 2012 and four in 2011, data show.
The sheriff’s office also is facing a $10 million lawsuit in federal court, filed by the family of an inmate who committed suicide in the jail in 2011 by jumping over the railing.
At its base, the problem may stem from mental health issues. A 2006 Bureau of Justice Statistics survey found 73 percent of female prisoners in state facilities reported mental health problems, compared with 55 percent of male prisoners. In county jails, 75 percent of female inmates reported mental health problems, compared with 63 percent of male inmates.
Full Story: Officials combat mental health issues among inmates