Inmates continue to die in tribal jails despite promises of reform

A handprint stained on the window at the Navajo Nation Detention in Shiprock, N.M., on April 13, 2021. (Sharon Chischilly for NPR)

Despite promises of reform by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, inmates at tribal jails overseen by the federal agency continue to die, according to a new report released on Friday.

At least four inmates died and 46 others attempted suicide from July 2021 through June 2022, according to the report by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics. Three of the four deaths were from suicide. The report did not disclose the cause of the other death.