A North Carolina newspaper has examined jail deaths across the state and found a disturbing trend– many of them died while left unsupervised longer than they should have been.
The News & Observer of Raleigh looked at inmate deaths over the last five years. These are the facilities that are typically run by county sheriffs, as opposed to the prison system that's run by the state.
The newspaper found more than 50 people died when state-required checks were not done at the proper times.
Under state regulations, detention officers are required to check on jail inmates at least twice an hour. If inmates are mentally ill or suicidal, checks must be done four times an hour.
In one case, a Durham inmate with a history of mental illness hanged himself on window bars after he was left alone for nearly six hours.
North Carolina's 113 jails house about 24,000 inmates at any given time.
State investigations have shown that some jails were understaffed or overcrowded.
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