# Inmates Have Died in the Care of Armor Health Companies. Jails Keep Contracting With Them Anyway.
Armor Health, a network of for-profit medical companies providing healthcare services to incarcerated individuals, continues securing lucrative contracts with jails across Florida and beyond despite a documented pattern of inmate deaths occurring under their watch. ProPublica's investigation reveals that multiple deaths have been linked to substandard medical care provided by Armor Health subsidiaries, yet correctional facilities have renewed or expanded their relationships with these companies rather than terminating them.
The investigation documents specific cases where inmates died from treatable conditions, including diabetic complications, cardiac events, and infections that went undiagnosed or untreated while in Armor Health's care. Medical experts interviewed for the reporting identified clear lapses in standard medical protocols and inadequate staffing as contributing factors to these deaths.
Despite these documented failures, the financial relationship between jails and Armor Health persists. County administrators and sheriffs continue contracting with the company, citing factors such as existing contractual obligations, the complexity of transitioning to new medical providers, and the absence of strong financial incentives to change vendors. Some jurisdictions have conducted internal investigations into individual deaths but stopped short of severing ties with Armor Health entirely.
This pattern exposes fundamental accountability gaps in how private medical companies operate within the criminal justice system. Inmates, as incarcerated persons, lack the market power and legal standing ordinary patients possess to demand quality healthcare or vote with their feet by changing providers. Families of deceased inmates have pursued litigation, though successful outcomes remain limited given qualified immunity doctrines and the difficulty of proving deliberate indifference under the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
The continued contracting with Armor Health despite documented deaths underscores how financial considerations, contractual inertia, and weak regulatory oversight can override public