For the third year in a row, deaths of state and local prison inmates have increased, with those dying in state institutions reaching an all-time high of 3,479, according to Justice Department report.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics said that 2013’s state prison death rate was 274 per 100,000 inmates and due mostly to illnesses such as liver disease and cancer. That was the highest since the bureau started charting mortality in jails.

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