SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The state auditor says suicides spiked at a California women’s prison after officials failed to properly prepare for the transfer of 400 of the state’s most dangerous female inmates to the facility.
In a report published Thursday, the auditor also found flaws in suicide prevention plans.
Female inmates comprise 4 percent of California’s prison population but accounted for 11 percent of suicides from 2012 to 2016.
State Auditor Elaine Howle reported that seven of the eight suicides of women inmates between 2013 and 2016 occurred at the California Institution for Women in Chino, California. She says the culture of the prison changed dramatically when prison officials transferred maximum security inmates there in 2012.
Prison officials say their suicide prevention programs have improved. There have been no suicides there this year.
