Grand Jury to Probe Jail Abuse Claims

The San Diego County Grand Jury decided Thursday to investigate widespread charges of inmates being assaulted by sheriff’s deputies inside the six county jails.

In a terse, one-line letter to Sheriff John Duffy, the grand jury accepted his request that it begin examining continuing allegations that inmates have been beaten and denied medical care, that female inmates have been stripped and chained naked in the jails, and that two reported suicides in the Las Colinas jail actually may have been murders.

“The 1987-88 San Diego County Grand Jury, in response to your request of June 1, 1988, will undertake an investigation of alleged excessive force by jail deputies,” the letter said. It was signed by grand jury foreman Edward C. Malone.

Sheriff Delighted

Duffy, in a statement released Thursday night by a spokeswoman, expressed pleasure that the panel would be reviewing the allegations that for the last six weeks have received extensive publicity in the local media.

“His position is that he’s delighted,” said Sgt. Liz Foster. “He’s very pleased. After all, he did request that the grand jury investigate the alleged beatings in the jail, and he’s extremely pleased that they’ve decided to do so.”

The grand jury announcement came after jurors met for three hours behind closed doors. It also comes at the same time that the FBI, the U.S. attorney’s office and the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union are conducting separate investigations into concerns that deputies are brutalizing inmates.

But it remained unclear how the county grand jury will conduct the investigation because the current grand jury’s term ends July 1. A new panel is to be chosen Monday. Malone could not be reached for an explanation.

Duffy, in his request for the independent review, suggested three alternatives: That the current grand jury extend its term to accommodate the jail investigation; that Malone ask the new panel to conduct the probe; or that Malone attempt to conduct the investigation in the final four weeks of the current panel’s term.

Malone rejected a request in early April to investigate the controversial San Diego police shooting of Tommie Dubose because he did not believe that the grand jury then had enough time to adequately investigate the case before its term ended.

County Supervisor Susan Golding, who also requested a grand jury review of the allegations, said Thursday that she did not care which form the grand jury investigation might take.

“I don’t really care how it’s done by the grand jury, as long as it is done,” she said. “But I’m certainly in favor of getting started as soon as possible. Until the investigation begins, we won’t have answers.”

The sheriff sought the grand jury investigation after holding a press conference last week in which he denied that inmates are being “systematically brutalized” by his jail deputies.