DiscoverHere & Now AnytimeUndercounted: The hidden deaths in America’s jails
Undercounted: The hidden deaths in America’s jails

Undercounted: The hidden deaths in America’s jails

Update: 2025-10-01
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Over a four-year period between 2019 and 2023, about 1,000 people died annually in U.S. jails. Nearly one-third of those deaths don't have a cause of death, according to an analysis of federal data by The Marshall Project. To kick off our series "Undercounted: The hidden deaths in America’s jail," Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd speaks with Jay Aronson, co-author of the book "Death in Custody: How America Ignores the Truth and What We Can Do About It." 

And, this year, jail officials in Philadelphia started putting digital wristbands on inmates that measure vital signs. They can alert staff when a medical emergency is happening. O’Dowd goes inside the city's jail complex with the Marshall Project’s Ilica Majahan to learn more.

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Undercounted: The hidden deaths in America’s jails

Undercounted: The hidden deaths in America’s jails