Lonnie Rupard's death in a San Diego jail cell has been ruled a homicide. His death came just one month after a state audit found the San Diego County Sheriff's Department was not doing enough to prevent inmate deaths.
Amid all those bad headlines, one more: a medical examiner ruling an inmate's in-custody death one year ago a homicide. The report stated that 46 year-old, mentally ill Rupard died from pneumonia, malnutrition and dehydration, among other health issues.
And in the year since Rupard’s case, Martinez said she has implemented many changes. Some of her top priorities include focusing on staffing, mental health and drug overdoses, for example. “We do more medical and mental health screening at intake. We do a voluntary urinary screening so we know what drugs or alcohol might be on board when they come into our facilities," said Martinez, referring to the quick action of prescribing withdrawal medications if needed.
Martinez is open to more, such as implementing body scanning of her staff, even though originally the department wasn’t on board with scanning staff.
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