The report, titled “After a Decade of Record Deaths in County Jails, the Community Deserves Transparency Through Oversight,” urges county leaders to establish an independent civilian oversight body to monitor jail operations and review critical incidents involving inmates.

 According to the Grand Jury, Riverside County remains one of the largest counties in California without a formal civilian oversight system for sheriff operations and county detention facilities. The report concludes that current oversight mechanisms are largely internal and lack the independence necessary to identify systemic issues or maintain public confidence.

 The findings come amid years of scrutiny surrounding Riverside County’s jail system. In 2023, California Attorney General Rob Bonta launched a civil rights investigation into the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office following concerns over a rising number of in-custody deaths and allegations involving jail conditions.

 The Grand Jury reported that 29 inmates died while in Riverside County custody between the start of the state investigation and April 2026.

 Jurors found that investigations into inmate deaths often lack independence and that public reporting on jail operations remains inconsistent and limited. The report also criticized the Sheriff’s Advisory Committee, concluding that it has not provided meaningful oversight or produced documented recommendations regarding jail operations.

 To address those concerns, the Grand Jury recommended that the Riverside County Board of Supervisors establish an independent civilian oversight body with investigative authority, dedicated staffing, public reporting requirements and the ability to review critical incidents and deaths occurring within county jails.

 The report also recommends an independent audit of jail medical and mental health services, the creation of a public data dashboard and the development of a long-term strategic plan for county jail operations.

 The recommendations revive a debate that surfaced last year when the Board of Supervisors considered creating an oversight body for the sheriff’s department. In July 2025, supervisors ultimately declined to move forward with the proposal.

 Sheriff Bianco responded forcefully to the report, rejecting its conclusions and accusing the Grand Jury of advancing a predetermined agenda.

 “The report is nothing but an attempt to pressure the Board of Supervisors into creating an oversight board and/or inspector general,” Bianco said in a statement. “The report is ridden with inaccuracies and patently false statements, combined with apples-to-oranges comparisons.”

 Bianco argued that the report reflects a misunderstanding of jail operations and the factors contributing to inmate deaths. He maintained that most deaths occurring in county custody involve fentanyl overdoses, suicides, natural causes or inmate-on-inmate violence rather than failures by jail staff.

 According to the sheriff, Riverside County’s correctional facilities continue to serve as a model for other counties throughout California and already operate under extensive state oversight.

 Bianco pointed to the California Board of State and Community Corrections, which regulates jail operations statewide, as well as ongoing court-ordered supervision by the Prison Law Office. He argued that the Grand Jury failed to adequately consider those existing oversight systems before making its recommendations.

 The sheriff also disputed claims that inmate deaths represent a systemic problem.

 “Going to jail does not prevent anyone from dying,” Bianco stated. “No one has died because they were in jail, they died while they were in jail.”

 He further contended that demands for civilian oversight are being driven by political activists rather than evidence of widespread misconduct within the department.

 The sheriff pledged that his office will submit the legally required response to the report but indicated that he does not intend to implement the oversight recommendations.

 “We will not implement any of their recommendations concerning oversight,” Bianco wrote.

 Under California law, Civil Grand Jury reports are advisory and do not carry the force of law. However, agencies named in the reports are required to provide written responses addressing the findings and recommendations.

 The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office has 60 days to respond formally to the report, while the Riverside County Board of Supervisors has 90 days to issue its response.

 Whether county leaders act on the recommendations remains uncertain. The report, however, ensures that the debate over transparency, accountability and oversight within Riverside County’s jail system will remain a prominent issue in local government discussions for months to come.

Source: Riverside County Civil Grand Jury Report, News Channel 3 (KESQ), Riverside County Sheriff’s Office statement.

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The class-action suit is the latest to challenge the legality of cash bail systems in California after a 2021 state Supreme Court ruling found it is unconstitutional to jail defendants solely because of their inability to pay their way out from behind bars.

“Every day, Riverside County imprisons people based on nothing more than their inability to pay an arbitrary, pre-set amount of cash that Defendants demand for their release,” attorneys for the civil rights groups argue in the 80-page complaint. “These individuals are not detained because they are too dangerous to release: The government would release them right away if they could pay. They are detained simply because they are too poor to purchase their freedom.”

The suit was brought by the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Civil Rights Corps, Public Justice in Oakland and several other law firms on behalf of two people incarcerated in Riverside County jails and two local faith leaders. It names as defendants the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Chad Bianco, the Riverside County Superior Court system and the county.

Lt. Deirdre Vickers, a sheriff’s department spokesperson, said she could not comment on pending litigation, as did a representatives for the county court system. The county executive’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

While the suit argues money bail is unconstitutional across California and seeks an injunction ending its use, attorneys said they are focusing on Riverside County following a spate of deaths in the jails in 2022. That year, Riverside County recorded 18 inmate fatalities, the highest number in a decade.

The following year, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, a Democrat, opened what remains an ongoing investigation into complaints about living conditions in the county jails and allegations that deputies use excessive force against detainees.

Inmate deaths have fallen since 2022. The county reported 13 jail fatalities in 2023 and six last year, according to Vickers.

Bianco — a law-and-order conservative who has joined a crowded field of Democrats to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom in the 2026 election — has previously dismissed the state’s investigation into his jails as politically motivated. Bianco maintains the jail deaths, many of which authorities attribute to drug overdoses and suicides, are a reflection of the inmates’ life choices rather than a sign of any problem with the jail system.

“Every single one of these inmate deaths was out of anyone’s control,” Bianco said after news of the state investigation broke. “The fact of the matter is that they just happened to be in our custody.”

The cash bail system has deep roots in the U.S. as a means of pressuring defendants to show up for scheduled court appearances. Attend trial, and the sizable cash payments are returned to you or your family; skip court, and you forfeit your deposit.

Critics argue it effectively creates a two-tiered justice system, allowing wealthy defendants to pay their way out while awaiting trial, and leaving low-income defendants stuck behind bars. Proponents of eliminating the bail system contend that decisions about whether to jail defendants ahead of trial should be based on the severity of their crimes and the risk they pose to public safety, and not hinge on their income status.

Brian Hardingham, a senior attorney with Public Justice, said people sometimes spend days in jail awaiting their first court appearance, only for a prosecutor to decline to file a case presented by local police. That stint behind bars can have an outsize effect on people’s lives, especially if they are low-income, Hardingham said.

“You meet people with 6-month-old kids in jail who, if they’re lucky, there is a partner or a parent or someone who can watch their kids,” he said, adding that even a brief stretch in a county jail can result in people losing their job, vehicle or even their residence.

Supporters of the cash bail system, including many law enforcement groups, say that doing away with it would leave too many defendants free to potentially flee and re-offend, leading to crime spikes.

The issue grew increasingly controversial during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the virus spread with deadly consequences through the state’s jails and prisons. Los Angeles County instituted a zero bail policy for most offenses in 2020, trying to reduce jail crowding at a time when the virus was spreading rapidly. That policy was rescinded in June 2022.

Despite concerns from police groups, a 2023 report to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors showed re-arrest and failure-to-appear rates remained relatively static among those freed pre-trial while the zero-bail policy was in place.

A similar lawsuit to the one filed against Riverside County prompted Los Angeles County court officials to revise their bail policies in 2023. Under the new system, the vast majority of defendants accused of misdemeanors or nonviolent felonies are now cited and released, or freed under specified conditions after a judge reviews their case. Defendants accused of serious offenses, including murder, manslaughter, rape and most types of assault, still face a stiff cash bail schedule.

Fears that the new system would result in a crime spike have not been borne out. Total crime in areas patrolled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department fell by about 2% in 2024, the first calendar year the reduced bail policy was in place, according to department data. The city of Los Angeles has seen significant decreases in the number of robberies, property crimes and aggravated assaults committed this year, as of mid-May, records show.

Given the 2021 state Supreme Court ruling and the changes in Los Angeles, Hardingham said he is hopeful other counties will shift their bail policies without having to engage in a court fight.

“We would hope that they would be willing to see the writing on the wall and make the changes that are necessary,” he said.

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