Male Inmate, 58, From The Winters Area, Died In-Custody At Yolo County Detention Center In Woodland

YOLO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA (October 21, 2023) – A 58-year-old male inmate has tragically died in-custody at the Yolo County Detention Center on Tony Diaz Drive in Woodland.

Yolo County officials are saying that the incident took place around 6:00 a.m. on Friday. Correctional officers noticed that the inmate was unresponsive in his single cell.

Jail and medical staff entered the cell in order to render aid. Despite life-saving measures, he was later pronounced dead.

Very little information about the death has been released. But officials said that there are no signs of foul play.

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

 

Liability For Yolo County Jail Inmate Deaths

Thousands of people die in custody each year in the United States. According to the UCLA Behind Bars Data Project, “The U.S. has seen a significant, continual increase in deaths in prisons over the past two decades, but never before have the country’s prisons seen such a steep increase year-to-year.” Many of these deaths involve neglect on the part of correctional officers. There are a number of steps that jails should take in order to prevent inmate deaths.

• Inmates should get a thorough health screening before they are admitted. In particular, medical staff should understand if inmates have any pre-existing health conditions.
• Jails should ensure that they are adequately staff by well-trained correctional officers.
• Jails should perform regular wellness checks on inmates.
• Jails should have substance abuse treatment programs in order to reduce the risk of drug-related deaths.

All jails have a legal obligation to provide inmates with reasonably adequate healthcare. If a jail is deliberately indifferent to the serious medical needs of an inmate, this could form the basis of a constitutional claim. When jail officials find an inmate unconscious in their own cell, this often indicates that they were not paying adequate attention to the inmate’s health needs. There are many ways that a jail may have contributed to an inmate’s death.

• A jail may have failed to give an inmate the medication that they needed.
• A jail may have failed to perform regular wellness checks.
• A jail may have failed to get an inmate quickly to the hospital.
• A jail may have failed to follow the advice of medical staff.

Many inmate deaths are completely preventable. They are much more likely to happen when jails are overcrowded and are not able to provide inmates with proper care. Sadly, jails will often do everything that they can to deny responsibility if someone dies in their care. The family of any inmate that died in-custody may be able to seek some measure of justice through a civil claim. It’s always a good idea to seek the guidance of an experienced civil rights attorney after any in-custody death.

 

Investigating California Inmate Deaths

We at the Sehat Law Firm extend our deepest condolences to the family of the man that died at the Yolo County Detention Center. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to police. There needs to be a thorough investigation into what happened. Steps need to be taken to prevent similar tragedies from taking place.

Do you need more information about a Yolo County Jail 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 upholding constitutional standards. 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.