SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Families of jail inmates who died in custody at the San Diego County Jail who have received multi-million dollar settlements from the county say they want more.
They are asking for new oversight by the county board.
Just recently, ABC 10News reported on the two huge settlements paid to the families of two people who died in custody because their medical needs were not met in the San Diego County Jail.
Wednesday, we followed through as moms who lost children to wrongful deaths in the jail held a news conference to beg the county to oversee what is happening behind bars.
The jail is infamous in California, averaging nearly 20 deaths a year and 200 overall since 2006. The latest family who went through the pain and suffering of a loved one dying in custody is the Wilson family.
They collected $6 million after jail nurses and doctors did not give their loved one the heart medicine he needed. He died 10 days into a 14-day sentence. In the video above, you can see him in the right corner of the screen falling from his bunk. He never recovered.
The Wilson family and the Serna family, who were paid the largest settlement ever paid by the jail — $15 million dollars — are calling on the Board of Supervisors to step in and appoint an inspector general to monitor the jail and improve the medical facilities.
Each of the supervisors has been sent a signed letter from the families of the men and women who died because of what their lawyer calls deliberate indifference. The sheriff has had no comment, although there has been improvement with the new sheriff, who promised reform.
The death toll in the jail in 2024 as of Nov. 13 is seven.
