In a segment that aired last night, Jamie Goldstein spoke with KSBW 8’s investigative team on the high death rate at the Monterey County Jail. Ms. Goldstein explained why our firm is passionate about advocating for families whose loved ones have died as a result of the prison’s negligence. There are several lawsuits for deaths dating back to 2021 alleging that Monterey County Jail and its healthcare provider, Wellpath, failed to provide adequate health care and mental health care.
Physical and mental health care are crucial to inmates, who rely solely on the prison system to keep them alive while they serve their sentence. Many inmates who died in the past few years, died as a result of lack of care for illness or injury, leading to sepsis, or as a result of suicide when mental health care services were not provided. In her interview, Ms. Goldstein said, “These are captive people and if you are going to keep them captive you have a responsibility to make sure they are cared for and if you can’t do that you better figure out another way or you better give the keys to someone else.” Last year, it was discovered that Wellpath is out of compliance in at least 43 areas within the Monterey County Jail facility. The Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted in 2021 to extend Wellpaths’ $44 million contract to provide all health care, including mental health care, at the prison through 2025.
Regardless of their crimes, none of the inmates who died in the Monterey County Jail had a death sentence or were serving for life. They anticipated being released from jail after serving their time and being rehabilitated into their community and loved ones.
If your loved one has died as a result of negligence while incarcerated, contact our firm to speak with our team about your options for obtaining justice for them. To read the full article published by KSBW 8 News, click here.
