A former prisoner has revealed what happens if someone dies in jail, saying 'even in death, you're still in prison'.
US YouTuber Jessica Kent, who was in and out of prison as she struggled with addiction for 10 years, regularly shares videos with her 593,000 subscribers detailing what life was like behind bars.
In a clip posted earlier this year, she spoke about what happens when people die inside prison - stressing that she was merely sharing her own experiences and understanding, as things may differ from one institution to another.
Kent explained: "Typically they will take you out in a stretcher, and if you have passed, they will put you in a black bag.
Advert
"You'll be taken to the nearest hospital/morgue depending on the situation at which point the family is notified and they can claim your body and begin funeral planning."
She continued: "Where do you go? Well, most prisons have a graveyard, and it is the most depressing thing I could ever explain to you.
"If you have no family, the prison will put your body in a very cheap, sad box, it's barely a coffin.
"So, even in death, you're still in a prison. You don't always even get a name on the tombstone, just the inmate number."
Advert
In her prison, Kent said some staff members and a chaplain would step up to give someone a burial if they didn't have any family to do so.
She said: "I have seen people pass away in prison, and I never knew what happened to them and if they had family or not.
Advert
"I did see one elderly woman who had no family, and was told by a staff member she was buried at the prison.
"It broke my heart as she was so kind, like everyone's grandma, and that was a really sad situation."
According to the Mirror, in England and Wales a coroner is appointed to conduct an inquest after a death is reported, in order to determine the actual cause of death if it has been violent or sudden.
Advert
The outlet adds that a prisoner still has a right to plan and decide what they want to happen at their funeral.
Kent, who now has a Bachelor's degree in criminal program support services, also said in her video that she'd heard some prisoners are able to attend funerals in the outside world - something that's known as 'furlough' to go to the service.
She explained: "I've never seen it. I know people are going to say in the comment section that they got to go to a funeral, but I've never personally seen that myself.
Advert
"The first thing that's going to happen is the inmates typically tell the correctional officers that a person is not okay.
"The correctional officers will then lock down the unit, then the nurse and a lot of staff members will assess the situation."
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: News, US News, Jail, Prison, YouTube