Minnesota saw a troubling spike in jail deaths last year, despite new legislation meant to prevent such tragedies.
In 2022, 20 people died while in the custody of Minnesota county jails, according to data from the state Department of Corrections. That’s a significant increase from 13 deaths in 2021.
The uptick comes after the 2021 passage of the Hardel Sherrell Act, named for a man who died of an untreated illness in a Minnesota jail.
The law established minimum standards for medical care, mental health treatment, and death reviews in jails and prisons. Advocates hoped the reforms would lead to fewer deaths.
“I’m just outraged, and I don’t understand why,” said Del Shea Perry, whose son Hardel died in the Beltrami County jail in 2017. Perry became an advocate for jail reform after her son’s death.
Among those who died in Minnesota jails last year was 36-year-old Larry Hill. Hill was found unresponsive in his cell at the Hennepin County jail in September and was pronounced dead at a hospital.