Congress presses DOJ to improve jail reporting system after Reuters report
Source: Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional leaders are calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to strengthen its tracking of deaths in local jails following a Reuters investigation that identified thousands of inmate fatalities and spurred criticism from human rights groups.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., speaks during a U.S.House Judiciary Committee about political influence on law enforcement activity, including one who worked on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, in Washington, U.S., June 24, 2020. Susan Walsh/Pool via REUTERS
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat, said fixing the DOJ’s broken system for tracking inmate deaths “is critical to identifying problems in particular jails that must be addressed.”
Reuters documented 7,571 deaths at more than 500 jails from 2008-2019; two-thirds of those inmates – close to 5,000 – were awaiting trial and had not been convicted of the charges they faced. Many remained jailed because they could not afford bail.
“This report underscores why it’s urgent that the U.S. radically transform its pretrial systems,” said Laura Pitter, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s U.S. Program. “It is no longer enough to say things have to change – it is an actual emergency.”
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-jails-doj/congress-presses-doj-to-improve-jail-reporting-system-after-reuters-report-idUSKBN2761L9
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