The cause of death of an inmate of the Oregon State Penitentiary is still being determined, according to a statement from Oregon’s Department of Corrections.
This is at least the ninth inmate death of 2019. Inmate deaths at this facility have increased over the last couple years, as there were 28 in 2017 and 35 in 2018.
The inmate had been in the custody of the Department of Corrections since September 2011 after being convicted for murder and some other criminal activity.
Oregon State Police were told about the death along with the inmate’s next of kin. This is standard practice when an inmate or another person who is in the custody of the department dies.
Another inmate died at the end of May and the cause of death has not been released. The 37-year-old inmate was convicted of vehicle theft and identity theft back in 2016. The earliest date when he could have been released was July 19, 2020.
Officials at the prison have refused to release more information due to concerns about privacy.
There are more than 2,000 people at the Oregon State Penitentiary, which was the lone prison in the state until 1959.
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