Several groups, including Radio Occupy Santa Barbara, No New Jail Coalition, and People Organized for the Defense of Equal Rights (PODER), held a candlelight vigil outside the Santa Barbara County Main Jail on the evening of July 8 to mourn the death of Raymond Herrera, who died last month while in custody there.
The groups protested the death of Herrera because they believe he died due to improper medical treatment by Corizon Health, the company contracted with the jail to provide health care for inmates.
In an emailed statement, PODER says Corizon is “notorious for its lack of adequate medical treatment and disturbing rates of deaths among inmates under its care.”
Corizon’s been sued several times in federal court for improper medical care. Recently, an inmate in San Quentin prison alleged that Corizon failed to administer medicine for his diabetes while he was a pretrial detainee in Alameda County Jail. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit on July 6, according to court documents.
Phone calls to PODER and other groups in the vigil weren’t immediately returned.
Herrera died shortly after he was found on his jail cell floor on June 15, apparently suffering from an unspecified medical emergency, according to a press release issued by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
The protesting groups allege that after Herrera was found, he was handcuffed and dragged out of his cell.
Jail staff made attempts to revive the 52-year-old Herrera, but were unsuccessful.
Herrera, who’s originally from Lompoc, was serving a short stint in jail for non-violent offenses, namely probation violations, being under the influence and possessing a controlled substance, and driving with a suspended license, according to Kelly Hoover, the Sheriff’s Office’s public information officer.
The department launched an investigation to determine the cause of death, according to Hoover, who added that the coroner’s report wasn’t complete as of July 6.
This article appears in Jul 9-16, 2015.
