Content Warning: This article mentions content that may be difficult to read, including suicide.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department faces legal consequences following the suicide of 21-year-old inmate Alicia Upton, who was residing in one of the county jails at the time. Upton’s parents are looking to sue Riverside County on the accounts of inadequate medical safety and a pattern of negligence when it comes to inmate care. Even though the progression of Upton’s suicide was recorded by surveillance footage and monitored, she was not stopped in her attempt. In fact, her body was not recovered until over an hour after her death.
In response to being sued by Upton’s parents, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco released a variety of statements claiming the suit “is nothing more than someone wanting money” and saying the county is “responsible for a suicide is silly.” Sheriff Bianco failed to comment on the crux of the suit: Upton was released from a safety cell even though she showed obvious signs of harmful behavior towards herself and suicidal thoughts. The circumstances of Upton’s death point to inadequate care and oversight of inmates within county jails, especially with several pending cases against Sheriff Bianca, all regarding inmate deaths.
Sheriff Bianco and Riverside County have already been scrutinized for the significant rise in inmate deaths within county jails alongside Upton’s case. The county reached a record high of 18 inmate deaths in 2022 alone. A large portion of families are filing lawsuits on behalf of inmates who died within the county jails, a number that is quickly entering the double digits. In response to the increased deaths, Sheriff Bianco stated that “every single one of these inmate deaths was out of anyone’s control.” A statement that ultimately dismisses the validity of the lawsuits and the care of inmates under Riverside County.
In 2021, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) urged Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate Riverside’s county jails and Sheriff Bianco. In their letter, the ACLU highlighted the significant unsolved homicide rate when compared to other sheriff’s departments within California and the county’s failure to provide the necessary protections for inmates, citing Sheriff Bianco’s negligence. His inability to accept responsibility on behalf of Riverside County and his deputies can be attributed to the level of care provided for inmates.
Several alarming instances have been noted within Sheriff Bianco’s career, starting with his outright refusal to adhere to COVID-19 public health orders. Additionally, Bianco’s opinions about incarcerated individuals and their families have also encouraged a negative perception of the county as he claims incarcerated individuals and their families are bad people. Similar blanket statements have been released where Bianco cited an increase in substance abuse and a culture of police resistance as the reasons for increased deaths in the county.
After Attorney General Bonta announced his investigation, Sheriff Bianco claimed to be a target of a political game which wrongfully assigns blame to Bianco. His ignorance toward the rise in inmate death within Riverside jails, which points toward a significant issue somewhere within the Sheriff’s Department. Riverside County is among the first to implement CARE courts and prioritize mental healthcare, making the decline in quality of care within the past years such a personal issue for the community.
The simple point of public dissatisfaction and outrage should be enough to prompt the sheriff’s department into implementing changes within the county jails. Perhaps Sheriff Bianco could have focused on bringing justice to the lives lost under the custody of Riverside’s County rather than the notion of a political agenda against the department.
