Inmate Edward McLaughlin, 64, of Pacifica, Died In-Custody At Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City

REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA (October 26, 2023) – A 64-year-old inmate identified as Edward McLaughlin has tragically died in-custody at the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City.

San Mateo County officials are saying that the incident began around 4:15 a.m. on Friday. Correctional officers noticed that Edward McLaughlin was unresponsive in his single jail cell.

Medical staff began life-saving measures in order to save him. But he was unfortunately pronounced dead at the jail. Maguire Correctional Facility officials are saying that a preliminary investigation revealed that Edward McLaughlin died of “natural” causes.

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

 

Liability For San Mateo County Inmate Deaths

Thousands of people die in-custody each year in the United States. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “A total of 4,234 persons died in state and federal prisons in 2019, a 6.6% decrease from the 4,515 deaths in 2018 reported to the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) Mortality in Correctional Institutions (MCI, formerly the Deaths in Custody Reporting Program) data collection.” Jails should take a number of measures in order to reduce in-custody deaths.

• Jails should have well-trained correctional officers and medical staff.
• Jails should conduct a thorough health screening when an inmate is first admitted.
• Jails should segregate rival gang members away from each other.
• Jails should provide inmates with care for all of their health needs.

Jails have a legal obligation to look after all of the inmates in their care. Inmates must be protected from reasonably foreseeable sources of harm. Inmates must also be given care for all of their health needs. If a jail is deliberately indifferent to the serious medical needs of an inmate, this could form the basis of a constitutional claim. A jail may have shown deliberate indifference to the needs of an inmate in many different ways.

• A jail may have failed to transport an inmate to the hospital when they needed more extensive care.
• A jail may have failed to give an inmate the medication that they required.
• A jail may have failed to prevent an elderly inmate from falling inside of their cell.
• A jail may have failed to help an inmate who was going through an overdose.

Many jail deaths are preventable. This is true even when a jail lists a death in custody as “natural.” Many of these supposedly natural deaths involve suspects in their 20’s and 30’s. Inadequate medical care is involved in a large portion of deaths listed as “natural.” The family of any person that died in-custody may have legal recourse through a constitutional claim. A civil rights attorney can examine all of the unique facts of your case free of cost and get to the bottom of what caused any in-custody death.

 

Liability For San Mateo County Inmate Deaths

We at the Sehat Law Firm extend our deepest condolences to the family of Edward McLaughlin. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to police. It is our sincere hope that measures are put in place to prevent other tragedies like this.

Do you need more information about a San Mateo County inmate death? Our team of civil rights attorneys are here to help in any way that we can. We care deeply that inmates are aware of their rights and that jails are doing everything that they can to keep inmates safe. Whether you just have legal questions or need a free investigation into any in-custody death we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at (949) 825-5200.