LICKING, Mo. — Determining the number of deaths in Missouri prisons proved to be a complicated endeavor for an investigative journalist, ultimately revealing significant discrepancies in state records. In what began as a basic inquiry into fatalities at the South Central Correctional Center evolved into an intricate reporting journey that exposed gaps in the Missouri Department of Corrections’ handling of death data.
The investigation took an unexpected turn in April when a local coroner provided seven years’ worth of reports detailing investigations into deaths at the South Central facility from 2018 to 2024. A comparison of these reports against the state’s death logs, obtained through a public records request, showed that the coroner had documented more deaths than were reflected in government records, leading to suspicions about the accuracy and completeness of the information provided by the Department of Corrections.
As discrepancies mounted—ten individuals missing from the state’s list—further attempts to obtain updated death logs from the Department were met with confusion. A follow-up request revealed that the Department claimed its records only went back to 2019, even though previous requests had successfully yielded 2018 data.
This inconsistency raised questions about whether different individuals were receiving varying sets of records. A subsequent review of data provided to a criminal justice advocacy group uncovered even more missing deaths, leading to a total of 17 individuals unaccounted for. The implications were troubling: Was the Department possibly misreporting or omitting fatalities entirely?
In an effort to clarify the situation, the journalist confronted the Department of Corrections, emphasizing the inaccuracies in their records. After multiple exchanges, the department finally provided corrected spreadsheets, admitting to an error in record retrieval. However, several deaths remained unaccounted for, prompting further inquiries about the Department’s ability to keep accurate track of prison fatalities.
The communication from the Department shifted drastically when they revealed that an official tally of prison deaths had not been maintained until the previous year. Deaths were recorded individually, but no comprehensive records were kept until a new system was implemented in 2024. This revelation paints a grim picture of Missouri’s prison system, where accountability for inmate deaths appeared to have been lacking.
As the investigation progressed, the Department sent a newly compiled list, describing it as a thorough report of deaths dating back to 2018. This updated data illuminated a stark reality: the previously reported figure of 15 deaths for 2018 was drastically understated, with the actual total peaking at 107 fatalities.
The following years displayed variability in the reporting accuracy. For example, while just one death was missing in 2019, a staggering 78 were unaccounted for during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Other years presented their own discrepancies, but the sheer scale of underreporting raised pressing concerns about the Department’s record-keeping practices.
Karen Pojmann, a communications director for the Department, acknowledged the outdated technology used for tracking inmate deaths and confirmed that no annual totals were required to be submitted to any overseeing body. She emphasized that despite multiple requests for a modern offender management system, funding had not been allocated for such an upgrade.
The lack of accountability in reporting inmate deaths may hinder public trust in the corrections system, raising questions about the necessity for reform. As the tale surrounding Missouri’s prison death records uncovers systemic flaws, the investigation serves as a potent reminder of the importance of transparency and accurate reporting within state institutions.