![]() The second suicide occurred six weeks later, in the downtown jail. (A spokesman says there’s a “mental health team” of one sergeant and one deputy that spend time at both jails, including Dorm 15.) But the county auditor pointed to a systemic issue with the county’s specialty housing for inmates with mental illness in a report released early last year: While the county added housing, it didn’t budget for more specialized staff. There’s no indication yet that jail staffers made any mistakes in their treatment of Wood. And it’s likely there that Wood suffocated himself with a plastic bag during the night. Wood was transferred to that dorm shortly before his death, according to jail records. In December, the county converted Dorm 15 in the eastside Inverness Jail to house mentally ill inmates. This isn’t uncommon: 32% to 80% of inmates in Multnomah County jails are believed to have a mental illness, according to a 2018 report by Disability Rights Oregon.īut it raises the question of whether the men received appropriate care.ĭonovan Wood, 26, who died in May, had threatened to slit his throat prior to his arrest, his sister indicated to police. In both cases, the men had shown signs of mental illness. The county has acknowledged, under questioning from WW, that two of the deaths this year were suicides. “These deaths are devastating,” County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson tells WW, “and something that has to change immediately.”īut to know what to change, one must first know what went wrong. Whether this crackdown will be enough to stop the death toll from rising further remains to be seen. It’s believed to be a response to suspicions that deputies failed to follow protocol prior to one of the deaths, then forged their logs to suggest they had. Earlier this month, WW has learned, Sheriff O’Donnell showed up at staff meetings with a stern warning: Falsify jail logbooks and you will get fired. In recent weeks, the sheriff has gone on a publicity tour touting recent changes, including an aggressive new strip search policy.īut not all of her appearances have been publicized. Internal documents and WW interviews with current and former staff reveal the jails’ struggles to adapt to a series of interconnected crises: the influx of the deadly new drug fentanyl, the increasing severity of inmates’ mental illnesses, and a staffing crisis that some say has made the jail more dangerous. That’s certainly what he’s saying in the days after his firing-and his account fits into a larger picture of a county jail system where dysfunction has turned deadly. “He’s a disgruntled employee saying, ‘I just do it how they train me.’” “ might be a great witness,” Kaplan says. On the other hand, it could provide prospective litigants with powerful ammunition. “That’s the jail covering their ass,” explains Matthew Kaplan, a litigator with experience filing wrongful death lawsuits against county jails. Whether or not staff is ultimately found negligent, imposing discipline helps protect the county from claims it violated inmates’ civil rights. The quick firing of Evanoff prior to completion of an investigation is likely an attempt to shield the county from liability. But it will be months, if not years, before the public learns what they find. O’Donnell has called in state and federal agencies to help figure out what went wrong. “The death of Clemente Pineda is an active and ongoing investigation, and we cannot comment further,” a spokesman for her office said. Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell declined an interview with WW. The county had said in a press release that Pineda was “found unresponsive in their cell” at around 4:15 and “corrections deputies immediately began lifesaving measures.” But Evanoff’s note implied that jail staff were aware of his condition far earlier. His documentation undermined the official story. In the days following Pineda’s death, Evanoff’s log message was circulated by jail staff shocked by the circumstances of the death. “He showed no signs of distress and was breathing.” The county offered no explanation, Evanoff says, but he believes he was made a scapegoat. Pineda’s was the sixth death of an inmate in Multnomah County jails since May. Jail employees rushed to resuscitate him, but it was too late. Around an hour after Evanoff’s shift ended, Pineda stopped breathing.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |