Justice Department, SLO County reach agreement over conditions at county jail

The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday announced it has reached a settlement agreement with the County of San Luis Obispo regarding an investigation into conditions at the county jail.

In a report released in 2021, the Justice Department found that the jail had violated the 8th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide inmates with adequate medical and mental health care, prolonging restrictive housing for mentally ill inmates, failing to prevent or correct excessive force, and denying inmates with mental health disabilities equal access to programs.

The Justice Department began its investigation into the conditions at the San Luis Obispo County Jail in October 2018. It followed the death of inmate Andrew Holland, who died of a blood clot after being tied to a restraint chair for 46 hours.

Under the settlement agreement, the jail will:

• Take steps to protect incarcerated people at risk of suicide
• Stop housing people with serious mental illness in isolation absent specific and significant protections
• Require any use of force by staff comply with constitutional standards
• Implement a quality assurance program to identify and correct systemic deficiencies

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the agreement also requires the appointment of a lead expert who will assess the county's compliance with the agreement and issue public reports every six months.
Since the investigation began, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office has already made several changes at the jail, including contracting with Wellpath to provide health care services and improving mental health treatment.

"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 Sheriff's Office said in a post on X, adding that it has received several recognitions for improvements to jail health care programs.

"We are encouraged by the improvements the San Luis Obispo County Jail has made since we announced our investigation, but there is still more that must be done to achieve constitutional compliance," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "This agreement includes strong remedial provisions that, if fully implemented, should improve suicide prevention, reduce excessive force, and reduce the use of unnecessary isolation."

Click here to read the full text of the agreement.