A Riverside County jail inmate who tested positive for COVID-19 died Tuesday, marking the second coronavirus-related inmate death in three days.
The back-to-back deaths come as the Sheriff’s Department is facing questions from civil rights attorneys and activists about its efforts to protect people who live and work in the jails.
As of Wednesday, 141 inmates have tested positive for the virus and most have recovered, according to the Riverside University Health System-Public Health. The Sheriff’s Department has not provided a breakdown of coronavirus cases at each of the jails it runs.
Tuesday’s death came a month after the inmate, who was not identified, was booked into custody. He was arrested March 27 on suspicion of domestic violence and 10 days later, taken to a hospital for treatment of a preexisting medical condition. At the hospital, the man came down with flu-like symptoms and on April 15 tested positive for the virus.
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Authorities have not determined a cause of death but said it appears to be complications from his preexisting condition, possibly exacerbated by COVID-19.
The first inmate death occurred Sunday. The man had been in custody since August 2018 and housed at Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning. He came down with flu-like symptoms on April 13 and tested positive the next day, the Sheriff’s Department said. Six days later, his symptoms worsened and he was taken to a hospital.
The department has not released new figures on infected employees since April 17, when 71 had tested positive for the virus. Two deputies — including one who worked in the Murrieta jail — have died.
Civil rights advocates have described the agency’s efforts to protect people who live and work in the jails as woefully inadequate. Inmates have said they feared their jail terms could turn into death sentences. Deputies worry about bringing the virus home to their families.
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A federal judge found that the Sheriff’s Department “failed to demonstrate that it is currently taking adequate precautions” to protect those in custody and ordered officials to submit a plan to achieve physical distancing.
The Sheriff’s Department has not made public plans it submitted after the judge’s order.
Early on, Sheriff Chad Bianco generally spurned the broad early release orders adopted by other law enforcement agencies to slow the spread of the virus behind bars.
In a court filing, the department said it already was releasing low-level offenders to ease overcrowding, including those who would otherwise qualify for compassionate release or who are at high risk of contracting the virus. It’s unclear what criteria it uses for those releases.
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“There is no such thing as a low-level inmate in our custody. We don’t hold them anyway,” Bianco said during a news briefing this month. “If you don’t wanna catch this virus while you’re in custody, don’t break the law.”
