Over the past 15 years, the San Diego County jail has recorded the highest inmate mortality rates throughout California, and the state auditor report released on Thursday calls out systematic issues and urges change.
There are 185 recorded fatalities between 2006 and 2020 in all seven detention centers it oversees, including one in Chula Vista. The San Diego-area regional law enforcement agency said that “they take the findings of the audit seriously” and are “taking action” to implement its call for systemic change.
Last June, lawmakers requested to review the San Diego County Sherriff’s department and found that it “has failed to adequately prevent and respond to” the problem.
“The high rate of deaths in San Diego County’s jails (as) compared to other counties raises concerns about underlying systemic issues with the Sheriff’s Department’s policies and practices,” acting California State Auditor Michael Tilden wrote in an introductory open letter in the report addressed to Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislative leaders.
“Our review identified deficiencies with how the sheriff’s department provides care for and protects incarcerated individuals (that) likely contributed to in-custody deaths. … In light of the ongoing risk to inmate safety, the sheriff’s department’s inadequate response to deaths, and the lack of effective independent oversight, we believe that the legislature must take action to ensure that the sheriff’s department implements meaningful changes,” Tilden asserted.
The audit, which was conducted at the behest of the state Joint Legislative Audit Committee, ran from July to December of last year and examined every aspect of the Sheriff's Department’s records of in-custody deaths, policies, procedures, facility maintenance, and staff records, according to state officials.
According to the audit, those who died in the county’s jails had been in custody for a few days to several months while others were waiting to be sentenced, set to be released, or about to be transferred to different facilities.
The auditors found that Sherrif’s staff “did not always provide consistent follow-up care to individuals who requested or previously received medical or mental health services”. Lapses in inmate safety checks were found during the audit.
“For example, based on our review of video recordings, we observed multiple instances in which staff spent no more than one second glancing into the individuals’ cells, sometimes without breaking stride, as they walked through the housing module,” the document asserts. “When staff members eventually checked more closely, they found that some of these individuals showed signs of having been dead for several hours.”
In response to the audit, Sheriffs officials said that the recommendations “also align with our existing practices (and) current and plans, as well as proactive efforts to continuously improve health care services and the safety of our jails.”
The audit warns unless the department makes “meaningful change” to how it provides medical and mental health care, “it will continue to jeopardize the safety and lives of individuals in its custody.”
