Inmate on life support after being attacked in Santa Clara County jail
Inmate on life support after being attacked in Santa Clara County jail
Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office says the victim was discovered during a routine welfare check.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office says a man incarcerated at the Elmwood Correctional Facility is now on life support after being attacked by other inmates. Three suspects have been charged with attempted murder and torture.
The inmates involved in this beating are facing charges, but now advocates say the county needs to reexamine safety in its jails.
"Of course, the law enforcement role should be to prevent these things and respond to them rapidly and that just didn’t occur," said Sean Allen, President of the NAACP San Jose Silicon Valley chapter.
On January 27th, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office said a man incarcerated at its Elmwood Correctional Facility suffered severe injuries after being attacked by other inmates in the barracks. They say the victim was discovered during a routine welfare check. He’s now on life support and remains in critical condition. Sean Allen is President of the San Jose NAACP and worked in Santa Clara County law enforcement for 34 years.
"How long does this have to keep occurring and how long does it have to have this level of impact on the community, to the individuals and the taxpayers, before the county changes direction?" said Allen.
In 2022, the state Attorney General opened a civil rights investigation into the county’s jail facilities. The Sheriff’s Office is also currently operating under two federal consent decrees, being monitored as jail conditions are improved.
"That culture has really shifted since Sheriff Jonsen took the helm, so this latest assault really came as just a terrible shock," said Susan Ellenberg, Santa Clara County Board Supv., District 4.
The NAACP says Santa Clara County still needs to improve how it manages its correctional facilities and continue to rebuild the public’s trust. County Board Supervisor Susan Ellenberg says safety and all in-custody incidents are taken seriously.
"I do believe that it is our responsibility to ensure that anyone that comes into our custody is safe while they are there, and I am talking both about the correctional officers that work in the facility and the people who are compelled to be there," said Ellenberg.
Ellenberg also mentioned that the layout of the Elmwood facility could be outdated and building a new facility may increase safety for everyone. The Sheriff’s Office says it’ll continue to investigate how this attack happened.
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