Reuters released a comprehensive report Wednesday on women’s deaths in jails across the US. The report collected data from more than 500 jails from 2008 through 2019 and documented 914 female inmate deaths.

The report cited suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, deficient medical care for inmates detoxing from opioids, and inadequate medical standards for treating pregnant inmates as the most common causes of the deaths surveyed.

Reuters compiled comments from experts who criticized the failure of jails to adopt procedures for accommodating an influx in the female jail population:

The female inmate population has risen even as the male population declined, Reuters found, and many women struggle to afford bail, which can lead to longer jail stays. “These women are showing up with needs, imminent needs, usually during a period of crisis and with trauma,” said Jessica Stroop, a correctional consultant with The Moss Group and former researcher specializing in female inmates at the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. “It puts a massive strain on the jails.” Jails “need to have gender-responsive programs and staff and training and facilities,” Stroop said. Instead, “women often get treated as a bolt-on” in jails “designed for men.” Jailers have been slow to adapt their medical programs, staffing models and housing strategies to accommodate the demographic shift, say experts. The Milwaukee jail, which had few cells set aside for women in need, has been under court supervision since 2001 due to repeated findings of inadequate healthcare; the sheriff’s office did not reply to five interview requests and a lawyer representing the county declined comment. The influx of women in jails “poses significant challenges, because there are limited resources,” said David Mahoney, the sheriff in Dane County, Wisconsin, who is also president of the National Sheriffs’ Association. The prevalence of addictions, mental illness and pregnancy “is a strain” requiring more personnel, housing and medications, he said.

In the report, Reuters emphasized that 171 women died in jails between 2008 and 2010. That number rose to 287 from 2017 to 2019, due to increased drug and alcohol deaths. The survey found that more than 70 percent of the 914 women who died were still awaiting trial and had not yet been convicted. Additionally, 24 percent of those deaths were of Black women, despite Black individuals comprising only 14 percent of the US population.

An inmate of the one of the jails surveyed in the report is currently suing the jail that held her for wrongful death of her baby. The inmate delivered the baby alone in her cell after being denied help from the jail staff. She claims that the baby was born alive and died in her cell. The jail denies her claims and contends that the baby was stillborn.