Jail time or arrests became death sentences for 442 people who died in custody in the Inland Empire from 2011 to 2022, a criminal justice nonprofit found.
That includes 216 deaths in custody in San Bernardino County and 226 deaths in Riverside County, according to Inland Empire Lives Lost, a report released in early October by Care First California.
“Advocates across the state are demanding accountability for in-custody deaths as there is a tendency by law enforcement to downplay or outright deny their role in these deaths,” the report stated.
The authors analyzed public records from the Attorney General’s Office from January 2011 through December 2022.They counted at least 2,312 people who died while in custody in California. About 19% of those deaths occurred in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, although the Inland Empire makes up about 12% of the state’s population.
Its disproportionate death rate is consistent with a CalMatters investigation by CalMatters reporters Nigel Duara and Jeremia Kimelman. They concluded some of the state’s deadliest jails are in Riverside County and counted 45 people who have died in lockup there since Jan. 1, 2021.
The most dangerous period for inmates is before they get through trial, Care First reported. Statewide only 14% of deaths happened after sentencing. Nearly a quarter of deaths happened during arrests, and 40% took place during the first week in jail, the report found.
Why is that first week so deadly?
“When you’re bringing someone in who has documented mental health concerns and they’re put in an isolated and not well monitored cell, the early days of incarceration are vulnerable,” said Marcella Rosen, media coordinator for the nonprofit.
The Lives Lost report didn’t analyze causes of death because of disputes over how they’re recorded and categorized.
“A lot are listed as natural deaths, and we have problems with that terminology since most deaths are preventable if given proper care,” Rosen said.
Broadly speaking, people often die in custody from suicide, overdose, disruption of medication or injuries sustained during arrest, she said.
The organization recommends several ways to prevent those deaths, including ending the cash bail system, enforcing the right to an immediate trial, creating diversion programs for people with mental health or substance use conditions and oversight by coroners who are separate from sheriff’s departments, Rosen said.
