Apparently the spirit of old the Wild West still exists in the present-day southwestern United States.

 

The U.S. Department of Justice keeps track of arrest-related deaths (ARDs). Of the five states with the highest per-capita rate of ARDs, four are in the Southwest. Based on 4,813 ARDs from 2003 through 2009, Arizona has the worst rate…1 per 26,857 people. Next in line are Florida (1 per 35,950), Texas (1 per 36,129), Utah (1 per 40,056) and New Mexico (1 per 40,376). Washington D.C.’s rate is 1 per 30,064.

 

California and Texas account for about 20% of the U.S. population (California 12%, Texas 8%), but are responsible for 31% of all criminals who die while in custody (California 16%, Texas 15%).

 

About 60% of the arrest-related deaths were determined to be homicides by law enforcement personnel, while suicides and death by intoxication each accounted for 11%.

 

Men represented 95% of all ARD victims, even though they made up 76% of all arrests.

 

Meanwhile, Congress is working on legislation that would make it tougher for jailers to cover up the causes of deaths in prisons, both public and private. Last Week the Senate Judiciary Committee gave approval to the Death in Custody Reporting Act, which would require public and private prisons, jails and boot camps to report deaths and their causes. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives, with bipartisan support, on September 20.

-David Wallechinsky, Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Bill Would Make it Harder to Cover up Deaths in Custody (by Alexa Vaughn, Los Angeles Times)