Inmate Armando Lopez Died In Custody During His Stay At The Lerdo Pre-Trial Facility In Bakersfield

BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA (August 25, 2023) – An inmate identified as Armando Lopez has tragically died during his stay at the Lerdo Pre-Trial Facility in Bakersfield.

The in-custody death was first reported by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. Very few details about he in-custody death have been released so far.

Correctional officers noticed that Armando Lopez was in some type of distress. Jail staff and medical staff began life-saving measures in order to save him.

Despite those efforts, Armando Lopez later died while in custody. His death marks the 4th in-custody death in Kern County in the past several months.

A full investigation into the incident remains ongoing at this time.

 

Liability For Kern County Inmate Deaths

Thousands of people die in custody each year. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “There were more deaths in custody in FY 2020 than in any year since FY 2016. The manner of these deaths included homicide, suicide, illness, accident, and other or unknown means.” People who are incarcerated are much more likely to die than those in the general population. There are many steps that jails and prisons should take in order to reduce the number of in custody deaths.

• Inmates should get a health screening when they are first admitted.
• Inmates should receive any medications that they were taking prior to their incarceration.
• Inmates should typically receive numerous health and safety checks.

When a jail assumes control over a person by incarcerating them, they have a legal responsibility to take reasonable measures to keep them safe. This includes providing them with reasonably adequate medical care. When a jail is deliberately indifferent to the serious medical needs of an inmate, this could form the basis of a constitutional claim. For example, correctional officers may have chosen to ignore the medical advice of doctors taking care of an inmate. There are several other ways a jail may have contributed to an inmate’s death.

• Jail officials may not have given an inmate the medication they needed.
• A jail may have failed to address an inmate’s deteriorating mental health.
• Correctional officers may have failed to timely intervene when an inmate was in medical distress.

Many in-custody deaths are totally preventable. This is particularly true when a jail lists an in-custody death as natural. The truth is that many inmate deaths listed as “natural” involve prisoners in their 20’s and 30’s. The family of any inmate that died in custody may have legal recourse through a civil claim. A civil rights attorney can examine all of the unique facts of your case and get to the bottom of what caused an in custody death.

 

Investigating Kern County Inmate Deaths

We at the Sehat Law Firm extend our deepest condolences to the family of Armando Lopez. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to investigators. There needs to be a thorough investigation into what went wrong.

Have you or someone that you love been harmed due to the neglect of correctional officers at the Lerdo Pre-Trial Facility in Bakersfield? You may have legal recourse through a civil claim. Our team of civil rights attorneys focus on helping people harmed by police abuse and jail neglect. Whether you just have legal questions or need a free, independent investigation into any incident we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at (949) 825-5200.