Death spurs calls for prison reform
A state senator is calling for an oversight hearing on Aaron Hernandez’ death — where prison officials would answer questions about staffing levels and how often Hernandez was checked in his cell — saying the former Patriot’s death showed a “crisis” in how the state’s prison system fails to prevent suicides.
“I have no idea whether it’s suicide or murder, I can only just say that there certainly have been other suicides in this prison, like every other prison,” said Sen. James B. Eldridge (D-Acton). “I think we’ve reached a crisis. It needs to be addressed.”
Hernandez, 27, was found hanged in his cell at the Souza-Baranowski Correction Center in Shirley early yesterday. State police and Department of Correction officials are investigating.
There have been several other inmate suicides at the prison, several attacks on prison staff and several inmateon-inmate killings, including the strangulation of convicted pedophile priest John Geoghan. The prison is in Eldridge’s district, and he said he’s heard “anecdotally” that it has four or five suicides a year.
Massachusetts has one of the highest levels of prison suicide in the country, according to federal statistics. From 2001 to 2014, the state’s mortality rate of 32 suicides per 100,000 inmates — below only Rhode Island, Utah and Nebraska — was twice the national mortality rate of 16 suicides per 100,000 inmates. Ten percent, or 47, of the state’s prison deaths in that period were suicides.
A DOC spokesman said officials had no reason to believe Hernandez was planning on taking his life. DOC officials did not immediately respond to questions about Hernandez’ death, including whether the prison was fully staffed and how often his cell was checked, and Eldridge said those questions needed to be answered.
“Those are exactly the questions to be asked,” Eldridge said. “I am calling on the Legislature to have an oversight hearing on the death of Aaron Hernandez.”
State Rep. Russell E. Holmes (D-Boston) said he shared questions about how officials were overseeing Hernandez’ safety. “How often are they doing checks? Are there cameras? Are there things we make sure we’re doing and monitoring if something goes wrong?” said Holmes, who is co-sponsoring a bill with Eldridge to study the use of solitary confinement.
Eldridge has filed bills to study suicides by prisoners and prison guards and said the judiciary and public safety committees looking at Hernandez’s death would provide a focus for broader prison reform. “Massachusetts has one of the highest prison and correction officer suicide rates in the country,” Eldridge said. “Society doesn’t have much sympathy for prisoners, but it’s the duty of the state to protect all of those in its custody.”