Prison violence in the United States has increased amid a shortage of guards, according to a government-commissioned report released last week. The finding fits into a trend of deteriorating infrastructure and the performance of federal agencies under insufficient funding. A clear example of this is the series of plane accidents in the country recently.
A report published last week, funded by the US government, reports an increase in murders in American prisons by almost 50% in the past five years, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The agency notes that the country ranks first in the world in the number of prisoners, including more than 1 million people in state prisons alone.
The report, commissioned by the US Department of Justice and prepared by the "Safe Inside" initiative, concludes that the system is under increasing pressure. Although in many states the number of prisoners has decreased significantly.
"We have fewer employees and they are being asked to do more," summarized the president of "Safe Inside" to Reuters John Wetzel, former head of the Pennsylvania corrections system. He reported an increase in the number of violent incidents and deaths - a negative trend that he attributed to the weakening of the system.
The report reports a five-year increase in attacks by prisoners on their cellmates by 54% and against guards by 77%. From 2019 to 2024, deaths among prisoners increased by 47%. This statistic includes murders, suicides and people who died after beatings. In 2019, the death rate in the United States was 2.8 per 100,000 prisoners, and in 2024 this index rose to 4.1.
In some states, the situation is particularly dramatic. In Alabama, for example, prison deaths in 2019 were 99, and in 2024 - 337, that is, nearly 3.5 times more.
The study authors conclude that staffing shortages and high employee turnover "have likely contributed" to the significantly higher death rate.
In Michigan, for example, about a sixth of the prison guard positions are vacant. Moreover, in some prisons in the state, this share is approaching a third.
Activists say that one reason for the problem is that too many people are sentenced to prison.
There are many prisoners "who should not be there," Maria Gulner, vice president of the association "Families Against Mandatory Minimum Sentences" told Reuters. (Families Against Mandatory Minimums).
A 2024 Associated Press study found that many prisoners in the United States are killed or injured while working. Many of those injured then do not receive the protections that are generally available to workers in the country.
In any case, the statistics show serious problems in the system. The main reason is undoubtedly the lack of sufficient funding, but there are other specific obstacles, such as the unattractiveness of prison work, which also makes it difficult to recruit staff. To this must be added the presence of organized gangs in prisons. Known for their cruelty, they impose informal rules that, as a rule, have much more important meaning on the ground than official legislation.