A report claims that thousands of people have been taken to the city jail in Baltimore despite having serious injuries.
According to the Associated Press, the Baltimore Sun made a request through the Maryland Public Information Act to gain access to the information. The report revealed that close to 2,600 people were refused admittance by corrections officers at the Baltimore City Detention Center from June 2012 to this past April:
The records do not indicate how the people were injured or whether they suffered their injuries while in custody. However, they do suggest that police officers either ignored or did not notice the injuries. Suspects are constitutionally guaranteed health care before they are booked into jail.
The records obtained by The Sun showed that 123 of the detainees who weren't admitted to jail had visible head injuries, the third-most common ailment cited by jail officials. Others had broken bones, facial trauma and high blood pressure.
This news comes roughly a month after 25-year-old Freddie Gray died of severe spinal injuries a week after being taken into custody by Baltimore police officers. Gray's death has since been ruled a homicide, and all six officers involved have been charged.
Following the request of Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the Department of Justice confirmed that it would be launching an investigation into the practices of the Baltimore Police Department.
[via Associated Press and Baltimore Sun]
