A new report is out on San Diego County jails following a study commissioned by the Citizens' Law Enforcement Review Board and conducted by Analytica Consulting. CLERB’s executive officer, Paul Parker, told KPBS that there are several big takeaways — many of which are also noted in a recent state audit.
The report found that San Diego County’s jails have the highest unexpected death rate out of 12 major county jail systems in California. The rate tracks deaths among people who were not believed to be in danger of dying when they were taken into custody.
There are more accidental and overdose deaths here. Another finding that was not in the state audit is that deaths in county jails happen primarily among people who have yet to be sentenced.
“It is disturbing. But what we’d like to do is ... hopefully we can get some additional research to indicate whether they’ve been convicted or not," Parker said.
“It shows that something needs to be done and something needs to be done immediately," said Branden Sigua, a staff attorney for the local nonprofit Community Advocates for Just and Moral Governance.
RELATED: A seventh San Diego County jail death this year
Sigua said that, when it comes to unsentenced people dying in custody, the distinction of whether they’ve been convicted is only worth so much.
“Presumably, the vast majority of these people, whether they were sentenced or unsentenced, weren’t sentenced to death," he said.
Another notable takeaway from the CLERB report that wasn’t in the state audit is that most people who die in jails here are white, but there are more people of color in custody.
All of this and more will be discussed in a virtual town hall beginning at 5:30 p.m. We reached out to the Sheriff's Department to see if it would be sending someone to the town hall, but our question went unanswered.
You don't need to register to attend the town hall. Here is a link.
