County Grand Jury report released Wednesday reviews recent in-custody deaths under Sheriff’s Office supervision
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – On Wednesday, the 2023-2024 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury issued the results of their investigation of the deaths of six people under the supervision of the Sheriff's Office at County detention facilities.
Of those deaths, two were determined to have been classified as suicides, two were classified as drug overdoses, and two were classified as multiple causes stated the Grand Jury report.
According to Wednesday's report, "Santa Barbara County Jails have become the main mental health institution, the main drug treatment center, and even at times the primary provider of health care for incarcerated individuals. In a jail system that is chronically understaffed, attention to acute details is compromised."
The Grand Jury report noted that their investigation relied heavily on the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department and that, "Completion of the investigations was greatly impeded by a lack of timely cooperation by the Sheriff's Office."
A Santa Barbara County Grand Jury report in April of this year concluded, "a potential perceived conflict of interest for the Sheriff/Coroner to perform investigations and autopsies" exists regarding in-custody deaths at Sheriff-operated facilities.
To wit, Sheriff's Office-conducted investigations of Sheriff's Office-operated detention facilities by the Sheriff's Office-staffed County Coroner's Bureau can lead to reporting like this article that ends noting multiple Sheriff's Office investigations of the Sheriff's Office shared by the Sheriff's Office.
Wednesday's Grand Jury report analyzed each of the six recent in-custody deaths concluding, "These deaths in custody occurred in part due to insufficient observation, occasional lack of effective and timely communications between jail Custody Deputies and healthcare staff, and inadequate resources."
Among the recommendations at the end of the report are the implementation of mandatory communication protocol between arresting personnel and medical intake staff at detention facilities, contracting with County Behavioral Health regarding beds at the re-opened Crisis Stabilization Unit next to the Main Jail, and a review of minimum staffing levels at jail facilities.
The report ends with a request for response from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office within 60 days.
Your News Channel reached out to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office and the law enforcement agency formally acknowledged receipt of the Grand Jury report and stated, "[W]e are working on a response to be sent to the Grand Jury in the allotted time."
