Why we can’t wait for a new sheriff to spur action in jails
Earlier this week I received an email from a reader about in-custody deaths that made me reflect.
I wrote a column Tuesday that aimed to highlight how actors inside and outside the Sheriff ’s Department contribute to creating a culture that lacks accountability. This reader, though, took issue with the column, particularly me once again spotlighting shortcomings of the department.
From his perspective, it seemed like I had a “vendetta” because of my repeated criticisms, and he argued it didn’t make sense to keep writing about issues like deputy misconduct and deaths in county jails anyway because the department is experiencing significant change.
“You’ve beaten this dead horse repeatedly,” the reader wrote. “Let’s wait to see what happens when there’s a new sheriff in town after the upcoming election.”
That line really caught my eye and the reason I wanted to address it here is it articulates a sentiment I fear far too many people possess about issues with the department, especially those in county jails.
Some seem to believe that jails aren’t worth focusing on now because a new sheriff is coming. That is a dangerous outlook.
The promise of a new sheriff does not guarantee change, and that is true irrespective of who is ultimately tapped as former Sheriff Bill Gore’s successor.
Yes, a new sheriff might have different policy proposals for how to address problems and be more open in acknowledging their significance than our former sheriff. However, that alone will not be enough; the issues in our jails go beyond the individual.
The department has a history of downplaying the severity of the issues in our jails, and part of that is because of the leadership that has been at the top. However, we’ve also seen plenty of examples where deputies and even medical staff have blatantly disregarded inmates’ well-being.
Think back to November 2019 and the case of Elisa Serna, a pregnant 24-yearold who died in Las Colinas women’s jail.
Serna suffered a seizure while in sheriff ’s custody, hit her head against the wall of her cell and collapsed to the f loor unconscious. A deputy and a jail nurse checked on Serna and found her unresponsive. However, instead of staying with an unconscious woman left in county care, they turned around and left the cell, closing the door and leaving her alone on the f loor where an hour later she was found dead in the same position.
Something like that goes beyond leadership. It reflects an issue of culture, with multiple people in positions of authority showing a lack of basic care. That also does not touch on the possibility that the department might be out of its depth, lacking the necessary training and mental health services to make much of a difference, even if a more caring culture existed.
Aside from that, the reason it’s so problematic to think of this as an issue that can wait until after a new sheriff is elected is fundamental: The people suffering in our jails cannot afford for us to wait.
San Diego County possesses
the notorious distinction of having the most excess deaths of California’s largest county jail systems. Report after report has more or less ref lected that for nearly a decade, yet here we are on pace for things to be worse.
Since 2010, at least 165 people have died in county jails, with last year representing the deadliest year ever when 18 people died in custody. This year it could still get worse — seven people died in jail between January and mid-April, a pace that would set a record and leave more families grappling with the loss of a loved one.
That should give us all a greater sense of urgency in addressing this problem. Spending time in jail, regardless
of the reason, should not result in a death sentence, nor should it result in experiencing inhumane conditions, like those highlighted in court filings earlier this week.
Journalist Kelly Davis reported Monday that a group of civil rights attorneys filed an emergency request in federal court, imploring a judge to intervene in the county’s jail crisis and compel the Sheriff ’s Department to make immediate changes to address medical and behavioral health care in jails.
That request also included sworn statements from two dozen former jail staffers and inmates, providing descriptions in brutal detail of deaths that could have been prevented, as well as highlighting some jail conditions and failures in mental health, medical and addiction care services.
One of the most haunting testimonials came from someone reporting on their time alone in an enhanced observation cell, with urine stains on the walls, a dirty mattress, a “suicide” blanket and a nub on top of the toilet as the only source of water.
“When I was in the EOH cell, I felt like dying,” the sworn statement read. “I felt like leaving the jail either in a body bag or going to the hospital.”
This is why I keep “beating this dead horse.” This problem has spanned over a decade, a half-dozen reports, different boards of supervisors, and yet people are still suffering and dying because we haven’t done enough to improve the quality of care and the conditions in jails.
We do not have the luxury of waiting for a new sheriff to ride in and fix everything. We as a community need to truly care about this issue and demand more.
And if we are lucky, maybe we’ll get a help from the courts or the federal government, forcing us to do more like those civil right attorneys are demanding, because nothing else seems to have worked.