DRC visited the San Diego County Jail, talked to prisoners and staff, and looked at records. DRC found problems with the way prisoners with disabilities were treated. DRC wrote a report about what we learned. Below you will find more information about this work.

DRC’s investigation of the San Diego County Jail revealed a disturbingly high suicide rate. Over the past several years, San Diego County Jail had among the highest number of reported suicides in any California jail system – more than 30 suicide deaths since 2010. The inmate suicide rate has been many times higher than similarly sized county jails in California, the State prison system, and jails nationally.

The DRC investigation report sets forth our findings and recommendations for reform. It examines four interconnected aspects of San Diego County’s jail and mental health system that contribute to the high suicide rate:

1. Over-Incarceration of People with Mental Health Needs;
2. Deficiencies in Suicide Prevention;
3. Failure to Provide Adequate Mental Health Treatment and the Harms of Solitary Confinement;
4. Lack of Meaningful Independent Jail Oversight.

DRC Report

• Suicides in San Diego County Jail: A System Failing People with Mental Illness (pdf)
  A Disability Rights California Investigation Report
• Accessible Electronic Version of DRC Report (pdf)

County Response

• San Diego County Response to DRC Report (pdf)
  Accessible Electronic Version of San Diego County Response (pdf)  
• San Diego County Response – Consultant Report (pdf)
  Accessible Electronic Version of Consultant Report (pdf)  

News Release

• Disability Rights California investigation finds San Diego County Jail suicides far outpace other jail systems - 4/25/2018

News Coverage

• Review board committee will examine San Diego jail deaths - San Diego Union-Tribune -1/24/2021
• Deputies waited 11 minutes to call 911 after noticing ‘unresponsive’ inmate, medical examiner finds - San Diego Union-Tribune 03/04/2020
• Jail deaths across nation, state drop in new federal study; San Diego County rate rose over same two years - San Diego Union-Tribune 02/22/2020
• Central Jail inmate found dead on eve of Thanksgiving, 16th death this year - San Diego Union-Tribune 12/04/2019
• Review of San Diego County jail deaths, intended for improvement, criticized as shallow - San Diego Union-Tribune 11/11/2019
• Two San Diego county supervisors call for ‘best practices’ review in wake of jail deaths report - San Diego Union-Tribune 09/25/2019
• Lapses in treatment, medical care spell horrific ends for mentally ill inmates  - San Diego Union-Tribune 09/21/2019
• County Sheriff’s Department questions national standard when counting jail suicide rate - San Diego Union-Tribune 09/20/2019
• Editorial: There’s an alarming number of people dying in San Diego County jails. It's inexcusable. - San Diego Union-Tribune 09/20/2019
• Rate of jail inmate deaths in San Diego County far exceeds other large California counties  - San Diego Union-Tribune 09/20/2019
• San Diego County Jails Under Scrutiny For Numerous Deaths - KPBS San Diego 04/18/2019
• Four prisoners dead in six weeks: the crisis unfolding in San Diego county jails - The Guardian 04/16/2019
• Sheriff’s Department Refuses to Release Report on Jail Suicides - NBC 7 San Diego 9/6/2018
• Is San Diego County Failing Its Most Vulnerable Inmate Population? - Pacific Standard, 6/11/2018
• Law enforcement board may begin inspecting San Diego County Jails - The San Diego Union-Tribune, 5/24/2018
• The Inmate Suicide Crisis Plaguing San Diego County's Jails - Witness LA, 4/26/2018
• Report finds 'shocking' jail-suicide rate in San Diego area - CBS8, 4/25/2018
• Report finds San Diego Jails are failing inmates with mental illness - The San Diego Union Tribune, 4/25/2018
• Report: San Diego Jails Face A Suicide 'Crisis' - KPBS, 4/25/2018
• San Diego County inmate suicide rate 'staggeringly' high, report claims - ABC10, 4/25/2018