OGDEN, Utah (AP) — The number of deaths in Utah prisons last year was only down slightly from last year, and two of them were drug-related.
The Standard-Examiner in Ogden reports a new report mandated by state lawmakers shows 20 state prison inmates died in 2017.
According to the report, an 88-year-old and a 65-year-old died after overdosing on Tylenol and methamphetamine, respectively.
The state Department of Corrections says there were 21 deaths in 2016.
The state Legislature passed a bill in March requiring county jails and state prisons to report the previous year’s in-custody deaths by August.
The measure also mandates officials list procedures for how the prison system handles inmates who have overdosed or are in withdrawal.
Half of the deaths were attributed to illness.
