Do Sepsis Mortality Statistics Show that Inmates are at a Heightened Risk?

Complaints about medical care in municipal jails and county jails in Texas outnumber all other topics of complaint. A study was done in which the mortality rates of people with sepsis were compared. What the findings suggest is that people who are incarcerated are significantly more likely to die from sepsis than non-inmates. Specifically, the risk of death among inmates who develop sepsis is 2.8 times the risk among non-inmates with sepsis.

Investigative research was recently conducted on the impact of infectious diseases on inmates as compared to the rest of the population. Based on data available, there was evidence that inmates carry a significantly larger proportion of the cases of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and hepatitis C virus cases in the U.S. Although inmates make up only about 3% of the U.S. population, they make up between 20% and 26% of all HIV/AIDS cases, 4% of all tuberculosis cases, and 43% of all hepatitis C cases in the U.S.

Sepsis is more difficult to obtain data on, but negligence in the area of providing healthcare is all that would be needed to increase the risk that inmates will die from this serious illness.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, and Part 19.

With the intention of providing Texas city and county jail inmates with helpful resources, this website was established and exists. Intimating that institutions or people have been participating in misdeeds is never intended.

–Guest Contributor