← CBS Reports · Season 4

The perils of private prison health care

S4 · E15 · 04 Oct 2019 · 25 min

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While serving a three-year sentence in an Arizona prison that contracts with a private health care company, Mariam Abdullah was diagnosed with mental illnesses. Six weeks after her 18th birthday, she killed herself in her cell. Her story is not unique: the suicide rate in U.S. prisons has increased in recent years. In this CBS Reports documentary, we look at whether private health care companies are contributing to this trend.