Dave Davies

But our guest, New Yorker staff writer Sarah Stillman, begins her latest article with the story of a woman in her 60s who died of protein calorie malnutrition, the apparent result of prolonged starvation during her four-month stay at a Tucson, Arizona jail. Stillman finds that starving in jail is far more common than you might think.

But our guest, New Yorker staff writer Sarah Stillman, begins her latest article with the story of a woman in her 60s who died of protein calorie malnutrition, the apparent result of prolonged starvation during her four-month stay at a Tucson, Arizona jail. Stillman finds that starving in jail is far more common than you might think.

The victims are often mentally ill people who were arrested for minor crimes and then languish behind bars, untreated and unable to make bail. Lawyers and activists say the problem has increased with the practice of counties granting contracts to private companies to provide health care to the incarcerated.

The victims are often mentally ill people who were arrested for minor crimes and then languish behind bars, untreated and unable to make bail. Lawyers and activists say the problem has increased with the practice of counties granting contracts to private companies to provide health care to the incarcerated.

The victims are often mentally ill people who were arrested for minor crimes and then languish behind bars, untreated and unable to make bail. Lawyers and activists say the problem has increased with the practice of counties granting contracts to private companies to provide health care to the incarcerated.

Stillman interviewed many surviving relatives and reviewed countless records of disturbing cases for her article titled Starved in Jail. In addition to her work for The New Yorker, Sarah Stillman teaches journalism at Yale, where she also runs the Yale Investigative Reporting Lab.

Stillman interviewed many surviving relatives and reviewed countless records of disturbing cases for her article titled Starved in Jail. In addition to her work for The New Yorker, Sarah Stillman teaches journalism at Yale, where she also runs the Yale Investigative Reporting Lab.

Stillman interviewed many surviving relatives and reviewed countless records of disturbing cases for her article titled Starved in Jail. In addition to her work for The New Yorker, Sarah Stillman teaches journalism at Yale, where she also runs the Yale Investigative Reporting Lab.

Stillman won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for her article about the little-known but widely used legal doctrine of felony murder. That's a subject we'll get to a little later. Well, Sarah Stillman, welcome to Fresh Air. You open your story about starvation with the case of Mary Faith Casey, a woman in her 60s who's arrested—

Stillman won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for her article about the little-known but widely used legal doctrine of felony murder. That's a subject we'll get to a little later. Well, Sarah Stillman, welcome to Fresh Air. You open your story about starvation with the case of Mary Faith Casey, a woman in her 60s who's arrested—

Stillman won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for her article about the little-known but widely used legal doctrine of felony murder. That's a subject we'll get to a little later. Well, Sarah Stillman, welcome to Fresh Air. You open your story about starvation with the case of Mary Faith Casey, a woman in her 60s who's arrested—

and taken to a county jail after something that I guess was a parole violation, technically a failure to register her address, something relatively minor. Before we get to what happened there, just tell us something about her life before she entered the Pima County Jail.

and taken to a county jail after something that I guess was a parole violation, technically a failure to register her address, something relatively minor. Before we get to what happened there, just tell us something about her life before she entered the Pima County Jail.

and taken to a county jail after something that I guess was a parole violation, technically a failure to register her address, something relatively minor. Before we get to what happened there, just tell us something about her life before she entered the Pima County Jail.

And what were her diagnoses?

And what were her diagnoses?

And what were her diagnoses?

Her children and siblings had struggled to get her help through mental illness and homelessness and previous arrests over the years. Very difficult, of course. And you describe in this piece her son Carlin driving to the hospital where she had finally been taken after about four months in this county jail. What did he see when he entered this hospital and saw his mom in a bed?

Her children and siblings had struggled to get her help through mental illness and homelessness and previous arrests over the years. Very difficult, of course. And you describe in this piece her son Carlin driving to the hospital where she had finally been taken after about four months in this county jail. What did he see when he entered this hospital and saw his mom in a bed?

Her children and siblings had struggled to get her help through mental illness and homelessness and previous arrests over the years. Very difficult, of course. And you describe in this piece her son Carlin driving to the hospital where she had finally been taken after about four months in this county jail. What did he see when he entered this hospital and saw his mom in a bed?