The unfortunate death at Perryville spawned depressing numbers about suicides at the DOC. The number of suicide attempts since July of 2022 totaled 71, which was 19 more than the previous year. Just in the last 6 months, 10 incarcerated people have taken their lives.

Dr. Thornell talks about “re-imagining corrections”. He’d better quickly change the draconian conditions at Perryville, or he’ll have another record-setting suicide rate here. No one wants that.

The woman who hung herself Monday was on Charlie yard, not Delta. She waited for her roommate to go to work in the morning, removed her ID from the window, and hung herself from the vent above the toilet. The inmate was not found until count, and by that time she was declared dead at the scene. The coroner arrived three hours later.

In cases like this, there are a lot of finger-pointing and rumors swirling around a tragedy like this. We choose not to print them as we can’t verify them. Everyone here sends sincere condolences to her family.

JOSE MARIO FIGUEROA was charged with assaulting a woman inmate and booked on September 26, 2023. The victim, a resident of Santa Cruz, provided evidence and eventually, Figueroa admitted to unlawful assault upon a prisoner. Sources at the prison say, off the record, that the victim is pregnant, and DNA provided the evidence. Another assault by a different guard on a woman at Lumley was also reported this year. How many go unreported?