More than 21,000 people died in local jails and state prisons in four years, according to records the government has hidden from public view since 2021.

The U.S. Department of Justice released the inmate death records to USA TODAY on April 23 after a years-long court battle. The records include the names, dates, locations and circumstances of deaths in custody. It comes from the prison systems in all 50 states and about 2,800 local jails across the country between Oct. 1, 2015 and the end of 2019.

USA TODAY’s initial analysis of these never-before-seen records shows that the number of accidental overdose deaths among prisoners doubled over the four-year period leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic – from about 220 per year to nearly 440 – while counts of homicide and suicide also increased significantly. They were up 30% and 13%, respectively.