State Auditor: San Diego jails are so bad a new law is needed to force Sheriff's Department fixes - The San Diego Union-Tribune
With 185 deaths in the past 15 years, San Diego County jails are so unsafe and deficient that state lawmakers should intervene by forcing the Sheriff’s Department to change course, the California State Auditor said in a scathing report issued Thursday.
The audit, released on Sheriff Bill Gore’s final day in office, said local oversight of the Sheriff’s Department should be toughened and standards for correctional care statewide should be strengthened.
Sheriff’s Department officials agreed with some of the State Auditor’s Office findings, but — as they have before — they questioned the data methodology of the independent reviewers and they said San Diego’s jails are not notably different from other county jails when it comes to people dying behind bars, according to the review.
Department officials also said they are making strides toward reducing in-custody deaths.
The long-anticipated, 126-page report took the unusual step of rebutting the formal department response, calling the San Diego Sheriff’s Department response “disingenuous” and raising questions about its internal controls.
The auditors said the state of county jails can only be fixed by passing legislation requiring the Sheriff’s Department to implement a series of recommendations spelled out in the 126-page report.
“Given the ongoing risk to the safety of incarcerated individuals, the Sheriff’s Department’s inadequate response to deaths and the lack of effective independent oversight, we believe the Legislature must take action to ensure that the Sheriff’s department implements meaningful change,” the report said.
The audit was commissioned last year by a group of San Diego County legislators in response to a rising tide of complaints from constituents that too many people have died in local jails.
The groundswell of criticism followed a six-month investigation by The San Diego Union-Tribune that found the mortality rate in San Diego County jails was notably higher than all other large California counties.
The stories noted that lapses in inmate-care cost local taxpayers millions of dollars in court fees, legal settlements and jury awards over the years — money that comes directly from the general fund because San Diego County is self-insured.
The audit criticizes the region’s largest law enforcement agency for neglecting to provide appropriate healthcare services to people serving time in local custody. And it notes that the Sheriff’s Department continues to take issue with independent reviews that have repeatedly found fault with the way San Diego County jails are managed.
Department officials rejected several of the State Auditor’s Office findings and questioned the methodology used by the outside auditors.
“The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department has taken appropriate and reasonable measures to prevent and respond to deaths of individuals in custody,” the department response states.
“The Auditor’s conclusion that the in-custody deaths were the result of inadequate medical care is misleading,” it adds.
Gore, who vacates the corner office at the Sheriff’s Department Kearny Mesa headquarters today, declined to comment on the findings.
It was not immediately clear how state lawmakers would respond to the auditor’s suggestion that they pass legislation requiring the Sheriff’s Department to implement the recommendations.
source: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/watchdog/story/2022-02-03/state-auditor-san-diego-jails-are-so-bad-a-new-law-is-needed-to-force-sheriffs-department-fixes
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