Prisons Routinely Ignore Guidelines on Dying Inmates’ End-of-Life Choices

May 15, 2025

Shadowed man in jail cell

(KFF Health News) – As the country’s incarcerated population ages rapidly, thousands die behind bars each year. For some researchers, medical providers, and families of terminally ill people in custody, Rigsby’s situation — and Moser’s frustration — are familiar: Incarcerated people typically have little say over the care they receive at the end of their lives.

That’s despite a broad consensus among standards boards, policymakers, and health care providers that terminally ill people in custody should receive treatment that minimizes suffering and allows them to be actively involved in care planning. (Read More)