On October 21, an inmate was found unresponsive in his cell at the Maguire Correctional Facility. According to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, the immediate initiation of CPR by correctional officers on the scene ultimately could not revive the 34-year-old man, who was pronounced dead at the scene— preliminary reports suggest suicide.
Reportedly, the inmate resided in the facility's Behavioral Health Unit, a specialized sector that focused on managing serious mental illnesses through evidence-based programming and increased out-of-cell time. In collaboration with Correctional Health Services and community partners including the San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, the Sheriff's Office aimed to devise comprehensive release plans for participants.
The effort to combat these arising concerns led to the adoption of 2018's Mental Health Counseling Access Act. This act aimed to increase the accessibility to mental health counseling and raised the alarm on the need for heightened consciousness concerning mental health in marginalized factions, such as prison populations.
Independent investigations by the Sheriff's Detectives, the District Attorney's Office, of San Mateo County, and the Coroner's Office are underway. According to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, the involved staff are being offered peer support resources to cope with the psychological consequences.
