Families of 14 inmates who died in West Virginia jail allege negligence

The alarming spate of deaths has triggered protests from the West Virginia Poor People’s Campaign, a branch of the nationwide movement. Photograph: Giles Clarke/Getty Images

Families of 14 inmates who have died in a West Virginia jail in the past year amid reports of deplorable conditions, rampant violence and inadequate medical services are demanding a federal investigation into what they say is negligence on the part of state authorities.

Recently the 14th death was recorded at the Southern regional jail in Beaver, West Virginia. Herbert Doss, 48, who had been incarcerated for three months, died of causes that are not yet known.