Inmate Patricia Adamson (Full Name: Patricia Louise Adamson) Died Following Medical Emergency At The Las Colinas Detention Facility

SANTEE CALIFORNIA (July 8, 2023) – A 63-year-old woman identified as Patricia Adamson has tragically died after going into medical distress at Las Colinas Detention Facility in Santee.

San Diego County officials are saying that the incident began around 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday. A lieutenant was performing a well-being check and noticed that Patricia Adamson was not caring for her hygiene as usual.

A deputy and a department doctor wheeled the woman to a shower. By the time they reached the shower, she went into medical distress.

Paramedics were called to the scene in order to help her. Sadly, Patricia Adamson died a short time later. A full investigation into the in-custody death remains ongoing at this time.

 

Liability For Inmate Deaths At The Las Colinas Detention Facility

Thousands of inmates die in custody every year at state and federal prisons. According to the New York Times, “Altogether, at least 6,182 people died in American prisons in 2020, compared with 4,240 the previous year, even as the country’s prison population declined to about 1.3 million from more than 1.4 million.” A large number of inmate deaths are preventable and due to inadequate care. What follows below are some of the measures that jails should take in order to reduce inmate deaths.

• Correctional officers should be trained to identify when an inmate is in medical distress.
• Correctional officers should be trained to understand when an inmate may be going through an overdose.
• Correctional officers should perform periodic wellness checks on the inmates in their care.
• Inmates should get a health screening before they are admitted to the jail.

All inmates have a constitutional right to receive reasonably adequate healthcare. When a jail is deliberately indifferent to the serious medical needs of an inmate and they die, this could form the basis of a Constitutional claim. For example, a jail may have not given an inmate the medication or treatment that they required. Jails should be proactive about keeping inmates safe and healthy, but this does not always happen. There are a number of steps that should be taken after any in custody death.

• Surveillance footage from inside the jail should be reviewed.
• Eye witnesses should be interviewed.
• Medical records should be preserved.
• An experienced civil rights attorney should be contacted.

It can be hard to know where to begin after any inmate death. To make matters worse, jails are almost never totally transparent about in-custody deaths. It is important that inmates and their families know that they do have rights. The family of any inmate that died in custody may be able to seek some measure of justice through a civil claim.

Investigating Inmate Deaths At The Las Colinas Detention Facility

We at the Sehat Law Firm extend our deepest condolences to the family of Patricia Adamson. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to investigators. It is our sincere hope that measures are taken to curb the frequency of deaths at this jail.

Do you need more information about an in custody death at the Las Colinas Detention Facility in Santee? Our team of civil rights advocates are here to help in any way that we can. We can investigate the unique facts of your case and let you know what your options are. We are committed to protecting the constitutional rights of inmates from government abuses. Whether you just have legal questions or need any type of support after an in-custody death, we are here for you. You can contact us anytime at (949) 825-5200.