Nevin Kallepalli                                                                               

Selected Writing
Independent journalist, New York City
UC Berkeley California Local Reporting Fellow at Shasta Scout, 2024-2026




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A third of Shasta’s jail deaths in recent years have been ruled suicides. A policy change could save lives
TWO DOZEN PEOPLE HAVE DIED WHILE INCARCERATED AT THE SHASTA COUNTY JAIL OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS. A REVIEW OF POSTMORTEM INVESTIGATIONS INDICATES MORE INTENSIVE MONITORING OF HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUALS COULD PREVENT DEATHS.
Shasta Scout 
Recent changes in state law have opened a narrow window into the jail’s inner workings in the wake of incarcerated deaths, providing access to investigative documents. In each one of these post-mortem examinations, there is a story to be exhumed, providing crucial details about the medical histories of decedents, how soon they died after being booked, how isolated their environment was, and in some cases, the level of anguish they were experiencing in the last days of their lives. 

Analysis of those deaths reveals important consistencies, particularly among deaths by suicide.