By Chloe Jones
The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — The U.S. Department of Justice has reached a settlement agreement with San Luis Obispo County, finding the county made “significant strides” in improving conditions inside the jail.
The 2021 findings of the jail conditions violating the Eighth and 14 Amendments and Americans with Disabilities Act have been resolved, the agencies announced in a Thursday news release.
The agreement comes nine years after the January 2017 death of Andrew Holland, an inmate who died naked on the floor in restraints as deputies watched for 46 hours.
The DOJ began investigating the jail’s conditions in 2018.
In August 2021, the agency issued a report that found the jail “violated the rights of prisoners in several ways, including failing to provide adequate health care and subjecting some prisoners to excessive force.”
The county did not admit to violating inmate rights in the settlement agreement. Rather, the agreement recognizes the improvements the county made in its jail.
“The county disputes the United States’ findings and denies any and all allegations that the county violated, or is violating, the Eighth or Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. This agreement does not amount to any admission of wrongdoing by the county,” the agreement said.
The “significant strides” include improved medical assessments and treatment for individuals with chronic conditions, improved mental health treatment and increased custody, healthcare staffing and progress in curbing excessive force, the agreement said.
Suicide prevention is an outstanding issue, the DOJ noted, but “many jail staff members now routinely carry cut-down tools that have been used to stop attempted hangings and appear to have saved lives.”
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said in its own news release Thursday that the 2021 DOJ report focused on the jail’s conditions prior to 2019. That was when it entered into a comprehensive contract with Wellpath for physical, mental and dental health care.
Since it entered its contract with Wellpath , the Sheriff’s Office was recognized as an Innovator County in mental health services, received an award for excellence for its behavioral health and incentive program, and received its healthcare accreditation.
“We are pleased with the settlement agreement, as it not only highlights the significant advancements we’ve achieved over the years but also underscores the progress we are committed to maintaining,” the agency said in the release.
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