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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Nazi POWS once held at Camp White near Medford Learn about proposed 55-mile scenic bikeway outside Ashland Plastic Round-up set for May in new location Ashlanders respond to controversy raised by Indiana law Bracing for Common Core Education Bracing for Common Core Ashland Kiwanis recognize Lillian Huang Chautauqua series brings author Jane Hamilton to Ashland Ashland Runs on Volunteers: OLLI classes pay dividends in joy of teaching, learning New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Environment Lots to celebrate at SOU Arbor Day rites Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers Business Ride & Drive: 2015 Ram Laramie Longhorn 1500 Ashland's Standing Stone Brewery owners to open Medford brew pub and restaurant Cars We Remember: ‘Topper’ movie car most memorable Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Snow hopes dashed, Mt. Ashland Ski Area hosts season-ending party Saturday Politics and elections Arthur I. Cyr: Afghanistan progress is uneven but undeniable Jackson County Commissioners plan no tax on marijuana for first year Grassroots group campaigns for Plaza paver do-over Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Short-term rental restrictions kept in some areas, loosened in others State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Nation - World Obituaries Death Notices Alicia Applegate Hardy Death Notices Rosalind Dee Death Notices Shareable Sports Latest Stories Upset-minded Raiders swept by No. 17 Concordia AHS softball team routs Churchill Four-year letterman Fredrickson leads sizzling Grizzlies Trip of a lifetime Paul nets 41 as Clippers rally past Trail Blazers High school Upset-minded Raiders swept by No. 17 Concordia AHS softball team routs Churchill Four-year letterman Fredrickson leads sizzling Grizzlies Grizzlies ace first MWL test Ashland's Knecht provides bright spot in Grizz nonleague loss to South Medford Southern Oregon University Upset-minded Raiders swept by No. 17 Concordia Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Ducks enjoy the challenge Voices Latest Stories Herb Rothschild: Stick to the facts Letters to the Editor, April 4 Our View: Ashland climate plan: Small steps add up Jeffrey Gillespie: Dancing the Pyongyang Polka Editor's Notes: Not falling, flying Editorial Our View: Ashland climate plan: Small steps add up Our View: More of the same at SOU? Our View: Restoration remorse over Ashland's Plaza Our View: One for the books Our View: Build it; they will play Letters Letters to the Editor, April 4 Letters to the Editor, April 1 Letters to the Editor, March 30 Letters to the Editor, March 27 Letters to the Editor, March 25 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Columns Herb Rothschild: Stick to the facts Jeffrey Gillespie: Dancing the Pyongyang Polka Editor's Notes: Not falling, flying Matthew T. Mangino: Prison deaths on the rise Council Corner: Ashland’s climate plan Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories A Country Cajun Revival comes to the Unitarian Community blog: Poets, put on your party shoes Spring exhibitions open at Schneider Museum of Art Community blog: Ashland High grad performs at OSF's Hip Hop Open Mic Top 5 things to do this week Theater Ticket Availability Ticket Availability Ticket Availability Ticket Availability Review: From past into present in OSF's 'Long Day's Journey' Music A Country Cajun Revival comes to the Unitarian Futureshock: Kendrick Lamar release points to road ahead Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park Album reviews: Recent and recommended for March The Farr Side: New format for ‘American Idol’ as show continues a strong run Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies Movie review: Suspend all belief in reality — ‘Furious 7’ is just fun Movie review: The action is even more insane in ‘Furious 7’ Movie review: ‘While We’re Young’ is a thought-provoking comedy-drama Alan Alda knows the secrets to acting, marriage Movie Listings: April 3-9 Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Health Watch: Work out like a pro athlete App Finder: Best baseball apps Ride & Drive: 2015 Ram Laramie Longhorn 1500 Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Ashland Kiwanis recognize Lillian Huang Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Nazi POWS once held at Camp White near Medford ... Learn about proposed 55-mile scenic bikeway outside Ashland ... Plastic Round-up set for May in new location ... Nazi POWS once held at Camp White near Medford ... Learn about proposed 55-mile scenic bikeway outside Ashland ... Plastic Round-up set for May in new location ... Matthew T. Mangino: Prison deaths on the rise Comment By Matthew T. Mangino More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Matthew T. Mangino More Content Now Posted Apr. 2, 2015 at 1:14 PM By Matthew T. Mangino More Content Now Posted Apr. 2, 2015 at 1:14 PM » Social News Last year, 35 inmates were executed nationwide. During that same period, 10 times as many inmates died in Florida’s prison system alone — by means other than lethal injection. Unfortunately, deaths in prison are common. For Florida, a record 346 prisoners died while behind bars in 2014 — a dubious distinction. Many of the deaths came to light through a Miami Herald series. The stories documented a pattern of inhumane treatment, abuse and unexplained inmate deaths. As a result, the Florida legislature began to look into the matter. Several prison guards testified at legislative hearings about the stressful conditions they are forced to endure on a daily basis. According to National Public Radio, corrections officer Timothy Butler said staff shortages and a lack of communication with the administration have made the prisons unsafe for inmates and guards. “It’s to the point,” he said, “where that if I was to walk down on a compound, I feel scared ... I don’t even know where we have enough people on there to help.” According to the Department of Justice-Bureau of Justice Statistics, 958 inmates died while in the custody of local jails in 2012. This was an eight percent increase from 2011 and marked the first annual increase in the number of jail deaths since 2009. State prisons reported 3,351 deaths in 2012. The mortality rate increased two percent, from 260 deaths per 100,000 state prisoners in 2011 to 264 deaths per 100,000 prisoners in 2012. Florida has the nation’s third-largest prison population with more than 100,000 men and women behind bars. Due to budget cuts totaling nearly a half-billion dollars conditions in Florida’s state prisons have been impacted by staff shortages, declining services to inmates and a deteriorating infrastructure. All of which create dangerous and often deadly conditions for inmates and a frightening work environment for staff. Florida is not alone. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, America’s jails and prisons hold more than 2.4 million people. Those inmates are scattered among 1,719 state prisons, 102 federal prisons, 2,259 juvenile correctional facilities, 3,283 local jails, and 79 Indian Country jails as well as in military prisons, immigration detention facilities and civil commitment centers. As jails and prisons burst at the seams, it is evident the United States is not just leading the world in incarceration rates, but that men and women are dying in prison at an unprecedented rate. Florida is ground zero for prison-related deaths, but certainly not alone in the crisis. Julie Jones, recently appointed Florida’s corrections secretary by Gov. Rick Scott, is the seventh head of the Department of Corrections in the last eight years. Jones believes the legislature and the media are making too much of the high number of inmate deaths. “I would submit to you, if you look at the raw numbers, it tells you, ‘Oh my gosh, we have a problem,’’” she told NPR. “If you drill in, the actual stats don’t portray it’s a crisis.” Last fall, her predecessor fired 32 guards in the wake of an investigation into inmate deaths. Former Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Michael Crews dismissed the guards after an investigation of inmate deaths at four different prisons. All of them had been accused of criminal misconduct or wrongdoing in the inmates’ deaths. In Florida, the average age of a prison inmate is about 33. Yet the mortality rate for inmates is more than half the mortality rate Floridians of all ages. This is an issue that demands more scrutiny, not just in Florida, but across the country. Matthew T. Mangino is of counsel with Luxenberg, Garbett, Kelly & George P.C. His book “The Executioner’s Toll, 2010” was released by McFarland Publishing. You can reach him at www.mattmangino.com and follow him on Twitter at @MatthewTMangino. By Matthew T. Mangino More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Matthew T. 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