SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A new independent study commissioned by San Diego County is raising safety concerns over deaths inside county jails, finding that overcrowding, staffing shortages, and rising overdose deaths may be putting inmates at greater risk.
The County of San Diego Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) looked at 179 in-custody deaths in the jail system over 12 years. The report found that 85 percent of the people who died were never convicted of a crime.
A high percentage of the deaths were overdoses.
"The deaths are occurring within the first day or two, which can be related to the toxicity level of the individual as they enter the facility or potential withdrawal," Brett Kalina, executive officer of the Citizens' Law Enforcement Review Board, said.
The study comes after years of red flags. A state audit in 2022 previously found failures from the San Diego Sheriff’s Office to prevent and respond to jail deaths, including missed medical checks and serious policy deficiencies.
"The deaths in San Diego jails had spiked, and there were considerable concerns about what was going on within the jail system, and so that was really the precursor to getting this study," Kalina said.
The San Diego Central Jail stood out as the deadliest facility in the county, accounting for more than half of the jail deaths studied. The deaths were happening within the first day or two of intake.
The study also shows that San Diego County taxpayers have paid more than $75 million in settlements tied to jail deaths since 2019.
"Spending $1 to prevent a needless death is worth a lot more than spending 10 or 100 dollars to compensate a bereaved family member," attorney Gene Iredale said.
The report also noted a drop in suicides, which could be credited to some of the changes the Sheriff’s Office has implemented, including expanded mental health screening, body cameras, and treatment programs for addiction.
"They’ve had a much larger increase in their medical staff over this period, which would maybe help them to find some of the issues early on, and so I think there are a lot of factors that can be taken into consideration and what it does is point us to where those key points are," Kalina said.
The report will be presented publicly next month, where recommendations will be made.
The San Diego Sheriff’s Office Released the following statement Tuesday night:
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office acknowledges the release of the independent study, “Independent Study of In-Custody Deaths in San Diego County Jails,” prepared for the Citizen’s Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) by the Mountain-Whisper-Light: Statistics & Data Science team and finalized in April 2026.
Since taking office in 2023, Sheriff Kelly Martinez has made the operations, safety, and infrastructure of the County’s detention system one of her highest priorities. While we appreciate the work conducted in this report, it is important to note that many of the recommendations identified have already been addressed or are currently in progress. These efforts include increased staffing levels, the strategic movement of higher-acuity populations to appropriate facilities, and a significant expansion of mental health and treatment programming across the jail system.
The report highlights the concentration of in-custody deaths within the San Diego Central Jail (SDCJ). It is important context that SDCJ accounts for more than 50% of the total jail bookings across the County’s seven detention facilities. Additionally, SDCJ operates within a dense metropolitan environment and is the closest booking facility to the international border. These factors introduce unique operational complexities, including a higher prevalence of homelessness, increased medical and behavioral health acuity, and exposure to illegal drug smuggling activity, conditions not experienced at the same level in other booking facilities.
The study also notes trends related to overdose deaths and suicides. In response, the Sheriff’s Office has implemented aggressive and targeted interventions that are already producing measurable results. Between 2024 and 2025, the detention system experienced a 65% reduction in overdoses and a single in-custody suicide in the same time frame.
We recognize that any preventable in-custody death is unacceptable. Our all-out efforts at enhancing medical and mental treatment for those in our custody continues to show dramatic reductions in negative outcomes.
These improvements reflect enhanced drug detection strategies, including expanded K-9 operations, increased screening protocols that also includes employees, and the placement of Naloxone throughout housing units, along with other interdiction measures.
In 2025, the Sheriff’s Office also added medical doctors to booking facilities to improve the screening and evaluation of individuals entering custody. This enhancement has increased the identification of medical needs at intake, resulting in more timely hospital transports when necessary and improved responses to critical conditions such as withdrawal symptoms, diabetes-related complications, and other acute medical issues.
In addition, the Sheriff’s Office has significantly expanded its Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) program and overall mental health services. These services now reach a broader population, including higher security classifications that historically did not have the same level of access. This expansion reflects a system-wide commitment to addressing substance use disorders and mental health needs through evidence-based care.
The Sheriff’s Office also acknowledges the report’s comments regarding data limitations. Throughout this process, the Office provided information consistent with legal, privacy, and security requirements governing sensitive custodial, medical, and personnel data. While certain individual-level data cannot be released under state and federal law, we remain committed to transparency and are continuing to enhance our data systems, reporting capabilities, and public-facing dashboards. We welcome ongoing collaboration with oversight bodies to support meaningful analysis while protecting the rights and safety of those in our custody. Despite these limitations, the report still identifies trends that align with areas the Sheriff’s Office has already been actively addressing.
The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to continuous improvement, transparency, and the safety and well-being of every individual in our custody. We will continue to evaluate findings such as those in this report while building on the substantial progress already made under Sheriff Martinez’s leadership.
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