RIVERSIDE, CA — A troubling series of reports and investigations revealed that Riverside County’s jails were among the deadliest in the U.S. today.
The jail system has reported its highest number of detainee deaths in decades, including several suicides, the New York Times reported. Deaths were reported as homicide, overdose, natural causes and suicide.
Alicia Upton, who died of suicide in 2022, was one of 19 people who died in custody that year. It was the system’s most lethal year in more than three decades. Upton was one of at least four suicides, the newspaper reported.
Neglect by jail employees, access to drugs and cell assignments put detainees at increased risk throughout 2022, the New York Times reported.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has reportedly assumed no responsibility for the deaths. County sheriff Chad Bianco did not respond to interview requests with the New York Times.
Meanwhile, California Attorney General Rob Bonta launched a civil rights investigation into the sheriff’s office last year, citing concerns over its jail facilities.
“Whether you have a loved one in jail or are worried about crime in your neighborhood, we all benefit when there is action to ensure the integrity of policing in our state,” Bonta wrote.
The newspaper reported five key takeaways about the jail system:
1. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department failed to adequately monitor detainees and intervene when they attempted suicide
2. Mentally ill detainees were able to block cell cameras and cell door windows even though the rules forbade it.
3. Deputies did not relocate detainees who expressed suicidal thoughts to cells where they could be monitored at all times.
4. The sheriff’s department left out important information about the deaths to the public and to the detainee’s families.
5. Riverside County paid out millions of dollars in settlements related to detainee deaths.
Read more from the New York Times: Inside a Deadly Southern California Jail System: 5 Takeaways