Prison deaths rise in Leon County – and across the country

So far in 2024, six people have died in the Leon County Detention Center. That's a lot for Leon County, but it's in line with the rising number of deaths in prisons across the country.

All deaths at Leon's prison must be investigated, and this one was investigated. One man died of a stroke. One woman died of what is known as septicemia. One man died of gastritis, and another death was heart-related. The causes of the remaining two deaths were redacted from public records, but a prison official said one man was found hanged in his cell, where no one else was present.

“We also had several deaths from natural causes, as determined by the coroner.”

Undersheriff Ron Cave says people who come to jail often don't have much access to medical care before they arrive or have pre-existing health problems.

“And then unfortunately there were some cases where people took drugs shortly before their arrest,” Cave said.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics conducted a nationwide study from 2000 to 2019 and found that the death rate in local prisons increased by 11 percent in 2019 compared to 2000.

Cory Godwin of the Florida Sheriffs Association is also observing an increase.

“This has been a consistent trend for decades that people with mental health issues – not just mental health issues, but substance abuse or addiction disorders – or more commonly a dual diagnosis of both – obviously end up in our correctional facilities and prisons across the country,” Godwin said. “And Florida is certainly not immune to that.”

In 2019, there were 184 deaths in local jails nationwide due to drug or alcohol intoxication, the highest number on record in the 20 years the Bureau of Justice Statistics has tracked death data.

“There are so many people who end up in jail or prison, in our case a detention center, who don't need to be there,” said Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil. “They suffer from tremendous mental health issues.”

McNeil says local jails often become the largest treatment centers for mental health issues in their jurisdiction. “That's not a place we want to be,” he said. “We would love to try to address these issues and mental health problems long before they get to our jail. But that's difficult.”

According to Undersheriff Cave, there are an average of about 1,000 people in the prison every day. About 65 percent of them have a mental health problem. About 40 to 50 percent are constantly receiving psychotropic drugs.

“These numbers are obviously alarming for us – and many people are not aware of this,” Cave said. “But we actually have the largest mental health facility in our area.”

Godwin of the Florida Sheriffs Association points out that the increase in mental health problems in prisons and jails is often a reflection of developments in communities.

“When it comes to mental illness and substance abuse, I don't know anyone in the last 20 years who hasn't dealt with these issues at least to some degree,” Godwin said. “They have a family or know someone, a friend or relative, who has gone down this path. And there are some great success stories out there, but there are also some tragedies.”

McNeil says he tries to reach people with mental health issues before they end up behind bars. The sheriff's office has three teams, including a deputy and a counselor, and those teams responded to 363 calls about mental health issues in the first quarter of 2024.

They've also taken steps to prevent suicides. Cave says they've replaced sheets and blankets that could be used for hanging with high-tech materials… and welded holes shut to prevent them from being used as leverage in such deaths. The department has also consulted with Florida State University, the Apalachee Center and Dr. Lisa Boesky, a suicide prevention expert.

“If people outside are having personal problems, it obviously has an impact on the inside,” Cave said. “So we've now created a form that tells staff when they check in: 'Inmate X has just been sentenced to three years in prison.' We're going to keep a close eye on him, even if he doesn't say anything, we're going to…”

Regarding the recent deaths, Cave says inmates with health issues already receive medical care on-site. Last year, the facility added a mental health unit, which employs a registered nurse who is on duty four days a week and a psychiatrist who is on-site when the nurse is not there.