Abstract
Death in Prison: Changing Mortality Patterns Among Male Prisoners in Maryland, 1979-87
Salive M E~~Smith G S~~Brewer T F
The leading causes of death (rate per 100,000 prisoner-years) in Maryland state prisons for the period 1979-87 were circulatory system disease (59), suicide (40), & homicide & legal intervention (30). AIDS became the leading cause of death in 1987. Homicides declined after 1980; drug overdose deaths peaked in 1981 & later disappeared. Male inmates have 39% lower all-cause death rates than the general population of Maryland after adjustment for age & race. (22 refs.)