California IN BRIEF : VACAVILLE : Medicine Linked to 3 Inmates’ Deaths

Three state prison inmates were heavily sedated when they died during a heat wave, according to an autopsy report. The inmates of the psychiatric ward had been receiving Haloperiodol, which inhibits the body’s ability to cool itself. The drug is used to reduce aggressiveness, said Solano County Coroner James O’Brien, who ruled the prisoners’ deaths accidental. They died of heatstroke, aggravated by their medical conditions, triple-digit temperatures and a mix of medications, O’Brien said. The prisoners, whose bodies were discovered July 3, died during a Northern California heat wave in which temperatures reached 111 degrees. The area where the inmates were confined had no air conditioning, the state corrections department said. O’Brien said he turned the results of his investigation over to the district attorney’s office to determine if there was any evidence of negligence.