Courtesy of the Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board
The County of San Diego Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board is announcing the completion of the Independent Study of In-Custody Deaths in San Diego County Jails, conducted by The Mountain-Whisper-Light: Statistics & Data Science (TMWL), examining factors associated with deaths occurring within the San Diego jail system.
Following a 2022 California State Auditor (CSA) audit of the San Diego Sheriff’s Office (SDSO) and an independent study conducted by Analytica Consulting, LLC of jail deaths and county mortality rates, CLERB contracted with The Mountain-Whisper-Light in 2023 to complete another independent study on fifteen interest areas or study questions proposed by CLERB, including in-custody deaths in San Diego County detention facilities for the last ten (10) years.
The study covers just over 12 years of in-custody deaths inside the seven San Diego County detention facilities. It aimed to identify risk and any relevant factors that might make some incarcerated people more vulnerable to in-custody death than others. The findings and recommendations in the report are the product of TMWL, not the San Diego Sheriff’s Office or CLERB.
The full case study report can be viewed on the CLERB media page: https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/clerb/media/
The study will be presented at the CLERB Public Meeting on May 7, 2026. The meeting will be held at the San Diego County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego, 92101, in room 310 at 5:30pm. For more details about monthly meetings, visit the CLERB website.
