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Three apparent inmate suicides in IDOC prisons in only one month

Posted at 11:54 AM, Oct 04, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-04 16:22:53-04

IDAHO — Three apparent inmate suicides took place in Idaho prisons in the span of just one month.

The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) is busy investigating the three separate deaths, which a spokesperson said took place in their state correctional and maximum security facilities.

According to IDOC press releases, the deceased include John Cope, who was found in his cell on August 31; Chancey Lee Baker, who was found in a search enclosure on September 24; and Jason Ivey, who was found in his cell on September 27.

All three deaths appear to have occurred in the same manner.

We reached out to IDOC staff for an interview, but they declined and instead provided a statement.

"We are reaching out to suicide-prevention experts. We’re asking them to examine the way our system operates and evaluate our procedures."
Dr. Walter Campbell, Chief Psychologist, IDOC

In our continuing coverage of their plans to implement the hotline resource in their prisons, Campbell said:

"We are hoping to initiate the suicide hotline in the near future."
Dr. Walter Campbell, Chief Psychologist, IDOC