The mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Sandra Bland have raised questions about deaths of people in jail. And according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, three out of four of those who die while in custody in local jails have not even been convicted of a crime.
This has been the average since 2000, when the number was at 70.9 percent. It fluctuated throughout the 70 percent range and was pegged at 73.2 in 2012.
More than half of jail deaths occur within the first month of being arrested, with the majority 36.5 percent within the first week, and 21.0 percent within 8-30 days.
