UPDATE: Two families have filed urgent civil rights lawsuits in federal court following the tragic deaths of Callen Lines and Corey Dean in San Diego jails. These lawsuits, initiated last week, accuse the San Diego Sheriff’s Office and its private medical contractor, Naphcare, of systemic neglect that led to their deaths.
Callen Lines, a 31-year-old nursing assistant and mother of two, died on May 11, 2023, from drug withdrawal complications at the Las Colinas women’s jail. Just a day after her arrest, she suffered a seizure related to withdrawal, a fact documented in her medical records. Despite revealing her history of substance abuse during intake, Lines reportedly received no adequate monitoring or medical intervention to manage her condition.
In heartbreaking statements from her cellmates, it is revealed that Lines desperately pressed her intercom, pleading for help before her death. “She sat down right in front of the cell door window,” one cellmate recalled. Tragically, when deputies conducted a safety check, they found Lines unresponsive, her body “completely blue and purple.”
The lawsuit highlights a grim reality: Lines’ death is not an isolated incident. It points to a pattern of negligence, citing previous fatalities due to untreated withdrawal at the same facility, including cases in 2019 and 2022. Families of previous victims have successfully sued the county for similar failures, raising critical questions about the care provided in San Diego jails.
Meanwhile, Corey Dean, aged 43, succumbed to neglect two months later at the Vista jail. Despite a known history of schizophrenia and mental health issues, Dean was placed in the general population without proper psychiatric evaluation. The lawsuit alleges that he spent days in distress, resorting to extreme measures like flooding his cell to attract attention. Even as his condition deteriorated, jail staff failed to respond adequately to his pleas for help.
In the days leading up to his death, Dean was moved to solitary confinement, where he would ultimately pass away. The lawsuit claims this action was retaliatory, asserting that deputies ignored his suffering while he remained in an inhumane environment.
Both lawsuits stress that the San Diego Sheriff’s Office was aware of the systemic issues surrounding medical and mental health care in its jails yet failed to implement necessary reforms. In 2022 alone, 19 individuals died in San Diego jails, raising alarms about the treatment of vulnerable inmates.
A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on the pending litigation but has previously stated intentions to improve conditions in local jails.
The families of Lines and Dean are demanding accountability and change, highlighting the urgent need for reform within the jail system. As these lawsuits unfold, they underscore a growing concern over the treatment of inmates in correctional facilities across the nation.
Next Steps: Watch for developments in these lawsuits as they gain traction in federal court. The implications could resonate beyond San Diego, potentially prompting broader scrutiny of jail conditions nationwide.
