A recent report revealed a surge in deaths inside prisons ; nevertheless, the causes of death are often unclear. During the first half of 2020, authorities registered 464 deaths inside prisons, a significantly higher number than in 2019, when authorities registered 191 deaths.
Although many of death died as the result of several diseases, it is important to remember prisons register conflicts and internal wars that end in riots and murders ; moreover, some inmates commit suicide because of the tough living conditions or because they can’t handle life in prison.
For example, one of the most recent spice cases was that of the man who killed Luis Miranda, who apparently killed himself using his clothes days after he arrived in the Santiaguito prison. Another alleged suicide case took place in Chiapas, where an elderly man accused of kidnapping and linked to Dylan Esaú’s case, committed suicide. The man’s family argues his body showed torture signs that question the suicide hypothesis.
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Additionally, the appearance of COVID-19 outbreaks among inmates worsened the situation at prisons because the facilities are overcrowded; therefore, any illness spreads quickly. At the beginning of the pandemic, authorities raised the possibility of releasing the inmates who had health issues or were part of the vulnerable population. In recent weeks, authorities haven’t registered new COVID-19 outbreaks inside Mexican prisons, yet the real number of coronavirus-related deaths is still unknown.
The health risks caused by overcrowding, the treatment inmates receive from prison guards, violence at the hands of other inmates, and the extreme psychological damage caused by prison make it seem like prison is one of the worst places to die.
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